Giants 3 Trades – 7 Draft Picks & More!!

Everyone has their sights set on the World Juniors in a series that saw Team Canada get eliminated from the Gold Medal they have their sights set on a win over Finland which won’t be as easy as some might expect.

Earlier in the day we heard about the passing of long-time Former OHL Commissioner and Canadian Hockey League president David Branch passed away over the weekend.

He was the commissioner of the OHL from 1979 until he retired in 2024 as well as the President of the CHL from 1996-2019.

He was from Bathurst New Brunswick and called Whitby home in addition to serving on the Hockey Hall of Fame Selection Committee, and received the Order of Hockey in Canada in 2016 and was inducted  as a builder in 2017 into the Whitby Sports Hall of Fame.

Sadly we also hear about the passing of 4-time Stanley Cup Champion Toronto Maple Leaf Bob Pulford who managed to score (at least) 17 goals each season from 1961-62 to 1967-68 helping the Leafs win the Stanley Cup in 1962, 1963, 1964 and 1967. 

If you ask any hockey historians they will  tell you his most important goal was his goal at 8:26 in the second overtime giving the Leafs a 3-2 victory over the Canadiens in Game 3 of the 1967 Final that allowed the Leafs to win in six games.

He retired in 1972 and was named coach of the LA Kings with a record of 178-150-68 over five seasons winning the 1975 Jack Adams Award as Coach of the Year following the 105 points record franchise record shared with the 2024-25 team. 

He then moved to the Chicago Blackhawks as coach and general manager in 1977 and had multiple stints in each job during the next three decades.

Pulford was elected to the Hall of Fame as a player in 1991 

Giants News:

The Vancouver Giants announced today that they have completed three separate trades, acquiring a total of seven draft picks – including two first-round picks – and two players.

From the Seattle Thunderbirds, the Giants have acquired 2007-born defenceman Kaleb Hartmann, a first-round pick in 2026, a first-round pick in 2028, a conditional second-round pick in 2027, a conditional fourth-round pick in 2028 and a fifth-round pick in 2027 in exchange for forward Cameron Schmidt.

From the Edmonton Oil Kings, the Giants have acquired 2008-born forward Joe Iginla and a conditional third-round pick in 2028 in exchange for forward Aaron Obobaifo and a conditional third-round pick in 2029.

From the Swift Current Broncos, the Giants have acquired a second-round pick in 2026 in exchange for defenceman Colton Alain.

“The Vancouver Giants thank Aaron, Cameron and Colton for all their contributions to the Giants since being drafted in 2022,” Giants Assistant General Manager Peter Toigo said. “We’re very excited to add Joe and Kaleb, and look forward to what they’ll bring to our organization.”

Iginla was a first-round pick by Edmonton in the 2023 WHL Draft, selected 12th overall. 

The Lake Country, B.C. product has 11 goals and 10 assists for 21 points this season through 37 games, after scoring nine goals and adding seven assists for 16 points in 61 games as a 16-year-old rookie last year. 

The right-shot forward was listed as a ‘C’ rated skater by NHL Central Scouting on their preliminary players to watch list for the 2026 NHL Draft, released in October.

Joe is the son of Hockey Hall of Famer Jarome Iginla and the younger brother of Kelowna Rockets forward Tij Igina.

Hartmann was a second-round pick by Seattle in the 2022 WHL Draft, selected 37th overall. 

The 6-foot-1, 200 lb. defenceman has two goals, six points and 54 penalty minutes this season in 33 games. 

The Langley, B.C. native has played 153 career games over the last two and a half seasons, producing 27 points during that span. 

The Vancouver Giants have also acquired Mathis Preston (2008) from the Spokane in exchange for forward Tyus Sparks, defenceman Marek Howell and a first-round pick (originally Calgary’s) in 2026.

He was listed as an ‘A’ skater by NHL Central Scouting on their preliminary players list to watch for the 2026 NHL Draft, projecting him as a first-round pick. 

The speedy winger has produced 32 points this season, on 14 goals and 18 assists grabbing 23 goals as a 16-year-old rookie last year going on to score nine goals and 16 points in the playoffs, playing a critical role helping Spokane reach the 2025 WHL Championship Series.

Giants General Manager Hnat Domenichelli mentioned “We are very excited to acquire Mathis Preston.” 

He continued “When we learned he was going to become available to us, we felt the opportunity to acquire a potential top-10 NHL draft pick was one we couldn’t pass up.”

Preston was selected to represent Team CHL at the 2025 CHL USA Prospects Challenge where he notched three points (1G-2A) in two games and also named for Team West and will be competing at the inaugural WHL Prospects Game at the LEC Wednesday, February 18, 2026 at Langley Events Centre.

Originally selected by the Chiefs with the third overall pick in the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft, Preston also won a Gold Medal with Canada White at the 2024 U-17 World Challenge, where he was named to the all-star team, and won Bronze with Canada at the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. 

Preston was teammates with Giants defenceman Ryan Lin at U17s, the Hlinka Gretzky Cup and at the Youth Olympic Games in 2023.