Sometimes you have to take a couple of fliers in the latter rounds of the National Hockey League draft.
The Calgary Flames did just that in the sixth round of the 2024 draft, selecting Hunter Laing, a hulking 6’6”, 209 lbs right-shot centre who plays in the tough Western Hockey League.
He got his start with the Prince George Cougars in 2021-22, playing five games with a -2. Interestingly, he had fewer regular season games the following season, playing being held pointless and finishing the season with a +1. However, he played two post-season games with the remote WHL team.
The 2023-24 season was Laing’s breakout year, which is good because it coincided with his draft season. With the Cougars, he scored 11 goals and 25 points in 66 games, picking up 32 penalty minutes and finishing the season with a -5. The Cougars went all the way to the WHL’s Western Conference Finals, falling to the Portland Winterhawks in six games. Game 6 saw the Cougars fall in the second overtime, brutal.
A consolation prize for Laing was that the Flames picked him with their sixth-round pick, 170th overall. Here’s what Elite Prospects had to say about the right-shot centre before he was drafted.
“Laing combines intelligent off-puck movement and passing skill. He hooks pucks around defenders and finds teammates from behind the net. When not, he’s flipping between scoring and supporting position. Inside space, he shows shooting skill and even some deception to evade pressure.”
Laing got off to a good start with the Cougars in his aged-18 season, scoring 10 goals and 22 points in 36 games. However, he was traded to the Saskatoon Blades before the trade deadline, where he’s found even greater success. In 18 games since the trade, Laing has eight goals and 12 points in 18 games, bringing his season total to 18 goals and 34 points in 54 games.
No matter if he played for the Cougars or the Blades, Laing has the opportunity to go on a deep run this postseason. The Blades sit seventh in the Eastern Conference but are just three points behind the Prince Albert Raiders for the division lead, which would mean moving to the second spot in the conference. Either way, they’ll more than likely make the post-season in 2024-25 as they are 18 points clear of the ninth-placed team with 12 games remaining.
Laing is going to be a slow-developing prospect and will head back to the CHL next season as he doesn’t turn 19 until May 16. He’s what you call a lottery ticket because if he pans out, the Flames will get a terrific piece for their bottom six. It’ll be intriguing to see how he does over the coming seasons.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for FlamesNation, Oilersnation, and Blue Jays Nation. They can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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