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Calgary Flames part ways with prospect whom Jarome Iginla vouched for

Colton Pankiw
Colton Pankiw
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Jun 2 2026, 3:47 pm
Calgary Flames part ways with prospect whom Jarome Iginla vouched for
hunterlaing11/Instagram

The Calgary Flames have chosen to part ways with forward prospect Hunter Laing.

The 20-year-old centre was selected in the sixth round of the 2024 draft. The Flames had until June 1 to sign him to an entry-level contract. Now that the day has come and gone, Laing has officially become a free agent.

The Flames were still intrigued by Laing and pushed for him to go the NCAA route this coming season. Had he done so, they would have been able to hold onto his rights with the possibility of signing him down the road. Instead, he’s chosen to return to the Saskatoon Blades of the WHL for another season.


This was simply a case of the Flames having a ton of prospect depth. They were certainly interested in Laing, and one can understand why. At 6-foot-6, he has all the makings of a power forward, which is exactly why Calgary chose to draft him two years ago.

The Flames were high on Laing at the time they had drafted him, though nobody liked his game more than Jarome Iginla. The Hall-of-Famer pushed for the organization to draft him.

“Jarome has been watching him over time, and he sees a big man who has gotten better consistently,” Flames general manager Craig Conroy told Postmedia’s Wes Gilbertson shortly after the 2024 draft. “So he was pretty excited when we were able to get him. Really, Jarome had a big say in that pick.”

In his 19-year-old season with the Blades, Laing scored 24 goals and 55 points, both of which are career highs through his junior hockey career. He followed up the strong season with four goals and nine points in 11 playoff outings.

While Laing’s size is certainly intriguing, he still has plenty of work to do before being NHL-ready, should he ever get there. For now, he’ll return to the Blades and look to dominate the WHL as a 20-year-old.

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