The Vancouver Giants made franchise-altering moves ahead of the 2026 WHL trade deadline.
The 2026 WHL trade deadline has come again, and as expected, teams around the league were very busy. One of the most active teams was the Vancouver Giants, who changed the entire dynamic of their organization. Overall, Giants GM Hnat Domenichelli made a statement at his first WHL trade deadline as Vancouver moved some key players who have been with the team for years.
In the week leading up to the deadline, the Giants made seven trades. The biggest day for Vancouver was on Monday, when they dealt Cameron Schmidt, Aaron Obobaifo, Marek Howell, Tyus Sparks and Colton Alain all in the span of a few hours. On deadline day, Giants defenceman Ryan Lin spoke to The Hockey News and gave his reaction to the franchise-altering trades.
"Monday was a pretty big day for this whole organization," said Lin. "I think, you know, the Nat and obviously the coaching staff decided that it was time to turn a page... You know, on a team, when everyone says, you guys are better than your record, it's true until you're 40 games in and your records is your record. So I think changes needed to happen. Hnat did a great job of getting quality and really special players back. So I'm really excited for it. Obviously, I'm sad that I lost some friends and teammates and all that, but I'm just excited for this next second half and all our new players that we got."
Vancouver will have a brand new leadership group this season moving forward. On top of the players mentioned above, the Giants also traded captain Ty Halaburda to the Kelowna Rockets. For Lin, he sees this as an opportunity to lead by example both on and off the ice.
"Those guys were our leaders, and those are the guys I learned from and learned to lead from. So it's hard losing them. But I think there's more of a gateway for me to kind of take charge and mould my way into this team and really put my stamp on what I want this team to be. Guys like a (Jakob) Oreskovic and (Ethan) Mittelsteadt, and now we have a group of guys that are 2007 and 2008 age who we can kind of push forward with and mould into what we want the Giants to be and what we want the culture to be around here. So, yeah, I think it's, it's more responsibility for me. I think I gotta step into that role and really take advantage and be responsible for that."
One of the big names Vancouver added ahead of the trade deadline was forward Mathis Preston. The 17-year-old has 32 points in 36 games and is a projected top 15 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. Adding Preston should not only give the Giants and boost offensively, but also provides Lin a teammate who is going through a similar situation heading into the draft.
"I have connections to all the guys that we got, which is pretty cool. I played with Joe (Iginla) at Team BC and a couple of other tournaments. I played with(Kaleb) Hartman at the Delta Hockey Academy. I've played against (Will) Sharpe basically my whole life. So, you know, I know all these guys. Mathis is an unreal player. And having someone that's going through the same thing as me, having all the same pressures, the same expectations, the same interviews, same whatever, it's really cool. And I think it's good for us to have someone to go through it together, and lean on each other for things. Ask each other what we're doing for certain things. And, yeah, he's a good friend of mine and a really good player. So happy to have him."
With the trade deadline in the rearview mirror, Lin and his teammates are now focused on the 2026 playoffs. Qualifying for the post-season will not be easy, as Vancouver currently sits six points out with the teams they are chasing having games in hand. When asked about making a run to the playoffs, Lin spoke about how important it is for the future of this team to try and capture one of the eight spots in the West.
Ryan Lin of the Vancouver Giants (Photo Credit: Rob Wilton/Vancouver Giants/WHL)"I want to make the playoffs. That's goal number one for me right now is to get this team in the playoffs and win games. And next year, we want to be a winning team. We want to be a team that's going for it with the age group that we have. And you know, if we miss the playoffs this year, it's gonna be hard next year. Next year, not having any playoff experience with this group of guys now. So I think it'd be huge if we made the playoffs this year. And who knows. This new look might spark something and go on a run, or get confident and hot goaltending. So you just, you never know. But we need to make it in this year, and then next year we can really do some damage and establish us as a winning team."
The Giants are entering into an exciting new era. They have plenty of young talent who are determined to right the ship and get back into the playoff race. With players like Lin leading the charge, Vancouver could be in store for thrilling end to the 2025-26 regular season.
Make sure you bookmark THN's WHL site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.
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