Calgary Hitmen acquire Flames defence prospect Bode Laylin

Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

Calgary Hitmen acquire Flames defence prospect Bode Laylin

Originally posted on Flamesnation | By Mike Gould | Last updated Oct 8, 2026 7:00 PM ET

The Calgary Hitmen announced Thursday afternoon that they have acquired Calgary Flames defence prospect Bode Laylin from the Everett Silvertips in exchange for 2008-born forward Caine Wilke and a fourth-round pick in the 2028 WHL Prospects Draft.

Laylin, a 2007-born defender who turns 19 in November, recorded one assist in five games with the Silvertips to begin the 2026-27 WHL regular season. The Flames originally selected the St. Michael, Minn. product in the sixth round (No. 164 overall) of the 2026 NHL Draft.

Before being drafted by the Flames, Laylin spent parts of three seasons with the USHL’s Tri-City Storm. The 5’11” rightie racked up 11 goals and 38 points in 55 games with Tri-City during the 2025-26 regular season; he added a goal and an assist in two playoff contests.

“We saw a need in our backend and a great opportunity to strengthen our defensive core with an NHL-drafted prospect,” Hitmen general manager Cass Bruni said Thursday in a media release. “Bode is a two-way, right-shot defenceman who impacts all areas of the game and was a top defenceman in the USHL last season.”

TRADE

The Calgary Hitmen have acquired Calgary Flames prospect Bode Laylin from the Everett Silvertips in exchange for Caine Wilke and a 4th round pick in the 2028 WHL Prospects Draft.

Details https://t.co/IEn4EVQ7hq pic.twitter.com/XivvEPYhU6

— Calgary Hitmen (@WHLHitmen) October 8, 2026

The Silvertips signed Laylin to a WHL scholarship and development agreement in May, just over a month before he was drafted by the Flames. Now, he’ll get to continue his development in Calgary, in much closer proximity to the Flames’ own development staff.

The Hitmen have gotten off to a great start in the 2026-27 WHL regular season, tying the Medicine Hat Tigers for the best points percentage in the Eastern Conference after going 4-1-0 through five games. Laylin is now the second Flames prospect to patrol the blue line for the Hitmen this season, joining 2025 seventh-rounder Jakob Leander. Laylin is committed to attend the University of Minnesota in 2027-28.

The Flames and Hitmen are both part of the Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation and thus have considerable organizational synergy, including a long track record of Flames draft picks developing with the Hitmen before turning pro. Laylin and Leander are both now following in the footsteps of 2023 seventh-round pick Axel Hurtig, who recently became the first player to score a goal with both the Hitmen and the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers.

With Laylin now in the fold, the Hitmen will return to action on Friday to take on the Red Deer Rebels at the Centrium at 7:00 p.m. Mountain.

This article first appeared on Flamesnation and was syndicated with permission.

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