If you have not read Landon DuPont’s name, you will start out undertaking so from now on. And that would make sense since DuPont is walking the route paved by fellow wunderkind and Chicago Blackhawks franchise cornerstone Connor Bedard.
14-12 months-aged hockey phenom DuPont was granted Excellent Participant Standing by Hockey Canada on Monday, April 8. He will flip professional in May the moment he will get drafted to participate in in the Western Hockey League next time.
He is 𝗘𝗫𝗖𝗘𝗣𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗟.
Landon DuPont has been granted Outstanding Player Standing and is suitable to engage in in the WHL on a comprehensive-time basis commencing with the 2024-25 WHL Common Year.
— The WHL (@TheWHL) April 8, 2024
DuPont will be suitable to contend in the league on a total-time basis following time at the time he turns 15 on May possibly 28, 2024.
Born in Calgary, Dupont is the second participant ever and initially just after Bedard to get paid an Excellent Player exception to perform in the WHL. Bedard joined the Regina Pats as a 15-12 months-old in 2020.
“[Bedard] in fact just despatched me a speedy message, so that was really surreal,” DuPont told ESPN on Monday, April 8. “He just advised me to enjoy every instant of it and have entertaining, so that was exclusive.
“I’ve just been actively playing with youngsters that are a lot more mature than me and more substantial than me at any time considering that I commenced actively playing hockey. I definitely assume that I’m all set to consider that leap and enter the league early.”
Landon DuPont Joins an Elite Team of Previous Wunderkinds
DuPont is just the 3rd defenseman in Canadian Hockey League historical past to be granted Fantastic Participant Status. He follows Aaron Ekblad (now of the NHL Florida Panthers and previous No. 1 select in the 2014 draft) and Sean Working day (previous 3rd-round decide on in 2016 by the Rangers).
DuPont is the ninth player in general in CHL record to be granted extraordinary status, subsequent Michael Misa (2022), Shane Wright (2019), Sean Day (2013), Connor McDavid (2012), Aaron Ekblad (2011) and John Tavares (2005) in the OHL, as well as Joe Veleno (2015) in the QMJHL.
Although he plays in the blue line, DuPont acknowledged he likes to go ahead and progress the puck on offense.
“I generally appreciated enjoying forward. I generally wanted to play ahead, but I constantly understood that defense was very best for me and exactly where I played ideal,” DuPont instructed Scott Wheeler and Julian McKenzie of The Athletic on April 8. “There ended up some tournaments the place I was forward and it was loads of entertaining, but I always knew that I was born to be a D-person.”
DuPont was born in 2009 and with his father playing in Europe, he created his activity across the pond. DuPont played his insignificant hockey in Kloten (Switzerland) and Berlin (Germany) till the age of 10.
In accordance to The Athletic, DuPont “often (performed) with his older brother Nolan’s 2006 age team.”
Last time, DuPont scored 25 aims and notched 78 factors in 35 standard-period and playoff contests as a 14-year-aged playing against 16 and 17-yr-olds, for every The Athletic.
DuPont is anticipated to be the initial select in the upcoming WHL Bantam Draft. That decide on belongs to the Everett Silvertips.
Scouting Stories Forecast a Promising Foreseeable future for DuPont
The tale revealed by The Athletic incorporates a few offers from nameless executives and staffers presently utilized by WHL franchises.
One particular Jap Meeting typical manager known as DuPont a “very elite” player. Included the GM: “No query he should really be having remarkable standing.”
That exact same nameless GM thinks what DuPont has previously proven at these kinds of a youthful age is amazing and bodes properly for his professional long term.
“His ability to drive offense as a [defenseman] is the ideal I have observed,” the GM informed The Athletic. “Doing it at the U18 amount is spectacular. Elite puck skills, large hockey IQ, competes difficult, and is a winner.”
A Western Meeting WHL general manager, nevertheless, did not want to go overboard with his forecast, taming anticipations a little bit.
“He’s very good,” claimed the GM. “(He’s most likely) not having a great deal larger but (he’s) authentic strong, excellent foundation, 0–100 immediately.
“Really very good offensive instincts. Difficult, accurate shot. He will be a seriously good junior, really very good professional.”
James Poole, who coached DuPont at Edge University, in comparison the wunderkind to one of the greatest youthful players in the NHL, Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar, who also performed for the coach in the AJHL.
“Just how considerably of an affect (Makar) created on the game, and how significantly the engage in revolved close to him, and just some of the factors that you’re almost in awe of when you are viewing him, to me that’s Landon,” Poole mentioned. “He was a driver of whatever went on on the ice, with and without having the puck with his hockey IQ, his edge work, and his puck expertise.
“He was dynamic at each finishes of the rink and was a driver on the ice each individual time he was out there.”
Ultimately, the reporters writing the write-up around The Athletic estimate Doug Crashley, a Calgary-based power mentor who operates with nearby NHL players. He commenced instruction DuPont in the course of the pandemic.
Crashley explained to The Athletic “he’s in no way labored with a player like DuPont,” adding, “I’ve seen each dude out west enjoy, including the child in Chicago (Bedard), and I do not know if I have observed a participant like him ever and I’ve trained some fairly great defensemen.”
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The post Connor Bedard’s Heir? 14-Calendar year-Outdated Phenom Landon DuPont Turns Professional at WHL appeared initial on Hefty.com.