With their second-last pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, the Flames went back to the WHL and took towering forward Hunter Laing. Having just finished his first full season in the WHL, there are a number of positives in his game.
Who is Hunter Laing?
| Position | Handedness | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | Right | 6’6″ | 205lbs |
The one thing to know about Laing is that he is a massive human being. Standing 6’6″ and weighing in over 200 pounds, he is clearly visible every time he is on the ice. Hailing from Kelowna, BC, Laing played his youth hockey at RINK Hockey Academy, where Jarome Iginla was the coach.
Laing’s on-ice production
| Year | Draft Relative | League | Team | GP | G | A | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022–23 | D-1 | BCEHL U18 | Okanagan Rockets U18 AAA | 32 | 22 | 25 | 47 |
| D-1 | WHL | Prince George Cougars | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2023–24 | D+0 | WHL | Prince George Cougars | 66 | 11 | 14 | 25 |
While he did start his WHL career last year with just three games, he finally played his first full season this year on the stacked Cougars side. In 66 games, he had 25 points and added a goal in the ten playoff games he featured in. Surprisingly, he only had 32 penalty minutes this season, which is low for a big man.
What is there to like in Laing?
There is much more to Laing than just being a big man. He’s been a great checker and smart along the walls over the course of the season. On top of that, he’s an adept playmaker with strong passing and good reads of the play. He is also able to use his size and smarts to get to the front of the net for tip-ins. Being large also helps, as he can screen the goalie incredibly well.
The flip side of his size is that it negatively impacts his skating. He’s a stand-up-straight kind of skater, which doesn’t allow him to really get the most power from his feet. It also keeps his centre of gravity higher and makes him easier to knock off the puck or knock over entirely. This is not great when he is in tight battles.
While he is fine defensively, there is a lot that still needs to be done to make him more effective beyond the WHL. Keeping tight to his man and understanding his role are going to be areas of improvement for Laing.
The good news is that the fundamentals and the size are there, and if he can keep growing and working on his game, the potential is there for him to be a pro hockey player in time. His road is just going to be longer than some other prospects.
Laing’s next steps
Laing will be back in the WHL and almost certainly back with the Cougars next season. He has a lot of work to do to grow his game and develop into a legit player at this level. If he can take a step forward in his game this year, he could be on track to earning an ELC with the Flames in a year or two.
Projection with the Flames
Realistically, Laing isn’t going to be a pro player, and even if he is in a couple of years, he is more likely to be organizational depth than a bonafide NHLer. However, banking on a guy who is 6’6″ is a much safer bet than one who is 5’9″. I really hope I’m wrong.
