Who is Landon DuPont, the latest future NHL star to get exceptional status?

Credit: Landon_Wesley

Get ready to hear Landon DuPont’s name a lot over the next 20-plus years.

It’s a name that’s been in the consciousness of hockey scouts for quite some time now. He’s only 14, but after earning MVP honors at the famed Brick Invitational in 2019, people started to take notice.

It helps that his father, Micki DuPont, made a name for himself during his pro career. Drafted 270th overall in 2000, DuPont had four points in 23 NHL games with Calgary, Pittsburgh and St. Louis from 2002-08. It was nothing to write home about, but he became a highly sought-after player in the European scene, highlighted by his six Spengler Cup appearances with Canada. He even outplayed some NHL guys during the 2012 tournament, a group that featured Carlo Colaiacaovo, Jason Demers, and Cam Barker as part of the NHL lockout.

But now, after becoming just the second player in WHL history behind Connor Bedard to earn exceptional status, Landon is ready to carve his own path.

Earning exceptional status is, well, exceptionally difficult. Earning it allows you to play in your respective CHL league a year early. Six players have earned it in the OHL – Connor McDavid, John Tavares, Shane Wright, Sean Day, Aaron Ekblad and, most recently, Michael Misa. Heck, Jack Hughes applied and didn’t get it. Joe Veleno is the lone recipient in the QMJHL, while Bedard is the only one to get it in the WHL.

That’s exclusive company. Not all of them have panned out, but when you’re too good for your own age group, the CHL will take notice.

DuPont will be able to play in the WHL as a 15-year-old, with the Everett Silvertips holding the first pick. DuPont has been playing against kids as old as 18 this year with the Edge School prep program, scoring 19 goals and 62 points in 30 games – as a defenseman. The CSSHL is the premier minor hockey organization in Western Canada, and no 14-year-old defenseman has ever played more than seven games in the league. In fact, no other defenseman has ever outscored DuPont, period.

For context, only three players, regardless of position, have outscored DuPont as a U-15 skater – Connor Bedard, Matthew Savoie, and Gavin McKenna. Those are three of the best kids to come out of that age group in quite some time. DuPont has three fewer points in five fewer games than McKenna did in 2021-22, and McKenna is now the frontrunner for the 2026 NHL Draft.

At 5-foot-11, 170 pounds, DuPont isn’t huge by any means, but he’s 14. Most kids his age are still figuring out puberty. Like most modern-day defenders, DuPont is incredible with the puck, moving quickly and decisively. He’s more creative than any defenseman we’ve seen in quite some time. With the extra space, DuPont can absolutely take over a power play, either firing a hard shot or using it to take defenders out of position before setting up someone else.

But DuPont is much more than just offense. He blocks shots, competes hard, and has the speed to get back after a scoring chance to break up a play. For his age, scouts have described DuPont as physically and mentally mature, allowing him to stack up against almost everyone.

DuPont isn’t eligible for the NHL Draft until 2027. So much can change, as we’ve seen already a few times with exceptional status players. Aaron Ekblad was the first defender to earn the honor, and, when healthy, he’s one of the better defensemen in the NHL. But then there’s Day, the only other D-man to earn it. A decade after debuting with the Mississauga Steelheads, he’s sitting in the AHL with Syracuse, and he has just played two NHL games with Tampa Bay.

There’s a long path here for DuPont to face all the ups and downs that any junior player will. Even the best of the best to advance to major junior have struggled at points. But anyone who has scouted DuPont the past two years knows he’s ready for a new challenge. He’s well-deserving of exceptional status, but it’s up to him – like Bedard before him – to prove what he can do at the next level.

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Who is Landon DuPont, the latest future NHL star to get exceptional status?

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