Joel Laing played four seasons of college hockey at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute from 1996 to 2000. In his senior season, he was a standout goaltender, setting school records for single-season shutouts (6), goals-against average (1.82), and save percentage (.947). His impressive performance earned him several honors, including being named a First-Team All-American, ECAC Goaltender of the Year, and a top-ten finalist for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award in 2000. He also set a new school record for career shutouts with 13.

After his college career, Laing played professionally in various leagues. He signed a minor league contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins organization, spending time with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the AHL and the Wheeling Nailers in the ECHL. While he did not play in the NHL, he had a very successful season in the British Ice Hockey Superleague (BISL) with the Sheffield Steelers in 2002-03. He helped the team win the regular season championship and was named the league’s top goaltender and Player of the Year. Laing retired from professional hockey in 2003.