The Saskatoon Blades have acquired Calgary Flames draft pick Hunter Laing, 2009-born defenceman Luke Dumas, and two WHL Prospects Draft picks in exchange for 19-year-old centre Ben Riche.
The picks include the Cougars' 2026 first-round selection and 2028 fifth-round pick.
The Blades second major deal in the last three days wasn’t easy to make.
“Ben is a major reason we are first in the Eastern Conference. His improvement over last year is remarkable, and we’re very excited for him to get an opportunity to play with some incredible players in Prince George's in their pursuit of a championship.”
Riche was acquired by the Blades in May of 2024 in exchange for overage forward Vaughn Watterodt. The Bethune, SK product scored 23 goals and 31 assists for 54 points in 37 games, all career highs, thus far this season.
Priestner says that this deal allows them to recapture capital that they spent building their roster for last season’s run to the Eastern Conference final and adds a player who was selected in the NHL draft.
“We’ve now fully restocked our first-round draft pick chart that we had depleted over the last season, and the opportunity to get an NHL-drafted 6-foot, top-six forward on top of the picks was too good an offer to refuse.”
Laing, a Kelowna, BC native, comes to the Bridge City with 110 career WHL games. The 2006-born centre scored 11 goals and 14 assists in 66 games last season with Prince George during his rookie year. The Calgary Flames drafted the towering 6-foot-6 forward in the sixth round (170th overall) at the 2024 NHL Prospects Draft. In 36 games this season with Prince George, Laing’s potted ten goals and added 12 assists with 26 penalty minutes.
Priestner believes there is a high ceiling for the 18-year-old Hunter.
“He is eligible to play with us for another 2 1/2 years. We feel he is just growing into his big frame and has the opportunity to play centre and wing for us and be a big part of what we are trying to do over the next several years.”
The Blades also receive Luke Dumas, a Beaverlodge, AB product, who has nine goals and seven assists in 16 games as a defenceman this season with the Junior Prospects Hockey League’s (JPHL) Titans Hockey Union U17. The right-handed shot has also appeared in nine U18 games with the Titans this year, scoring one goal and four assists.
Laing is expected to suit up for the Blue and Gold during tonight’s game against the Edmonton Oil Kings at Rogers Place.
