Creating the Bestselling Avalanche Minimalist 2022 Stanley Cup Print

Clean. Simple. Thoughtful.
The NHL licensed 2022 Stanley Cup Championship Minimalist Print by S. Preston is truly iconic and perfectly captures the spirit of colorful Colorado as well as that of the current champions in the Colorado Avalanche, who hoisted the coveted Cup this past June.

Preston's minimalist championship print was released moments after Colorado's Game 6 championship-clinching victory on June 26. The digital print on museum-grade archival paper features a white silhouette of the Stanley Cup in the lower left corner as it's positioned over three staggered burgundy peaks that are accented by a rich blue skyline and a glassy '2022' centered towards the top, center of the piece.
"That print was by far our bestseller," Preston said. "We sold out of the limited-edition print of 500 (copies) in about 48 hours. The largest print sold out in 24 hours."
Preston is the only licensed artist for the NHL, which allows him to use his creative freedom and signature minimalist style to curate iconic pieces throughout the season for the league, in addition to nine other brands - including the MLB - that he is currently licensed with.
The Avalanche's Stanley Cup victory marked Preston's sixth championship print for the NHL. As part of his process - and a byproduct of being an avid hockey fan and former player himself - Preston closely follows the playoff runs and searches for inspiration directly from the teams themselves. By the time the postseason has been narrowed down to just four teams competing in the respective Eastern and Western Conference Finals, he begins to sketch out his visions for the potential victor.
"I typically do a ton of rough sketches beforehand," Preston said. "I liked the mountain idea; I had used something related for the MLB All-Star Game in Denver last year. I knew that was really going to resonate well, but I wanted something different. Knowing the Avalanche colors, I found it natural for it to be the sky and the mountains. Knowing that this would be the third championship, I felt that the three mountain compositions would be fitting for the three Stanley Cups."
Preston's minimalist style and artwork - while iconic - is fairly new.
Having grown up in the Vancouver area and near Burnaby - which is the hometown of Avalanche Executive Vice President President of Hockey Operations Joe Sakic, - having played hockey, and still hitting the ice to this day two-to-three times per week, he combined his passions for sports and art into a style that he noted is simple, but easily identifiable.

"This minimalist style didn't really come together until I was about 40," Preston said. "It just popped and took off, so I decided to make a career out of it. I quit my day job as a graphic designer and figured I'd just make a go at it. It's been 10 years of very cool experiences with all of the sports that I love."
His business has since taken off via his S. Preston Art and Designs business which is dedicated to producing, "Living room worthy art." Preston is currently based out of California and has a 2,000-square foot art gallery about a block from Disneyland in California, which showcases, houses and sells most of his prints.
He has created a range of minimalist artwork from championship pieces like the Avalanche's 2022 one, to stadium pieces for both the NHL and MLB, sketches, All Star Game promotional pieces and even a "Star Wars" line.
For the Avalanche specifically, Preston has produced a Bernie the St. Bernard mascot piece and a logo piece in addition to the 2022 Stanley Cup Champions one. And while Ball Arena is one of the few NHL buildings Preston hasn't created artwork of yet, he noted he has a vision in mind and urged Avs Faithful to stay patient.
"That one for Ball Arena
And for Avalanche-specific prints, check out his Avs collection on his website:
https://sprestondesigns.com/collections/colorado-avalanche