Lethbridge, Alta.- Mathis Preston has a penchant for big-time moments.
In Game 2 of the 2025 WHL Championship Series, he bagged a goal and an assist to lift Spokane to what would ultimately be its lone win of the series.
In the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup semifinals, he potted the game-tying goal and Canada’s lone shootout tally against the United States.
And on Tuesday night, he picked up a critical assist and a late goal to give Team CHL life in Game 1 of the 2025 CHL USA Prospects Challenge.
With the squad trailing 3-1 with less than 10 minutes to play, Preston evaded his defender and backhanded to the centre of the ice to send a wicked wrister flying past the outstretched glove of Brady Knowling.
https://twitter.com/TheWHL/status/1993524740812832909
“It was a big goal for us,” CHL Head Coach Willie Desjardins said. “Gave us a chance to get back in it. You know, he’s quick, he’s explosive.”
Will Preston be able to deliver again as the CHL fights to level the series in Game 2 after a 4-2 loss in the showcase opener?
“It’s the best of the best,” Preston said prior to Game 1. “That’s why everyone’s here. They’ve proven themselves in their respective leagues and come together, and you’ve got two games to prove ourselves and why we’re the best three leagues.”
Preston currently leads his Spokane Chiefs with eight goals and nine assists for 17 points in 21 games.
He’s aiming to show scouts he’s worthy of the A-rating NHL Central Scouting tagged him with in the agency’s October preliminary player list- and get the crowd in Lethbridge on its feet.
As Team CHL works to grow chemistry with limited reps together, the 5-foot-11, 177-pound forward is looking to bring both flash and structure to the ice.
“You have a balance,” Preston added. “You’ve got to use your strengths to your advantage and play your game. You can’t be someone you’re not, so (I’ll) just try and play my game as much as I can and hopefully gel with my teammates. You haven’t played with these guys too much. You know, there are a few events that you’ve played with them, but you’ve just got to come together.”
The CHL outshot the U.S. NTDP 44-26 on Tuesday night, but Desjardins expects even more from the visitors the second time around.
“You have to know that they’re going to be even harder tomorrow,” Desjardins added postgame. “They’ve got confidence. They’re going to play harder, they’re going to be excited about it. So we have to regroup. We’re going to have to take a little look at a video, where we can be a little quicker on things and we have to make some adjustments.”
Should team CHL earn a win in any fashion in Game 2, the ice will be flooded and followed by a sudden-death three-on-three overtime game to determine the winner of the 2025 CHL USA Prospects Challenge.
Puck drops just after 6:00 p.m. MST at the VisitLethbridge.com Arena on Wednesday, November 26.
Canadian viewers can catch the action on TSN, while Victory+ will carry the game for viewers in the United States and around the world.
