Report: 14-year-old defenseman Landon DuPont will be granted exceptional player status and early entry to the WHL
As reported by Eric Francis, among others, it is expected that 14-year-old defenseman Landon Dupont will be granted early exceptional status in the Western Hockey League (WHL) and will be the second player to do so following in the footsteps of Connor Bedard.
The Everett Silvertips hold the No. 1 overall selection at the upcoming WHL Draft held on May 9th where they will select DuPont first overall. DuPont racked up a whopping 19 goals and 43 assists for 62 points in 30 games for the U18 Edge this season, leading the team in points and goals with 19. He led the entire league in points by a defenseman.
Hockey Canada and the Western Hockey league will formally announce the granting of exceptional status to 14-year-old Calgarian Landon DuPont on Monday.
He’ll be the ninth player in CHL history, and second in the WHL behind Connor Bedard, to be cleared to play junior at age 15.
A…
A Hockey Canada panel made the decision after watching, evaluating and interviewing the son of former Calgary Flames defenseman Micki DuPont, as well as talking to his coaches, teachers and a psychologist who assessed his ability to handle such a step.
“The announcement has not been made on DuPont yet, but the belief is it will be given to him next week,”Sportsnets’ Elliotte Friedman reported on last Saturday’s Hockey Night in Canada.
Eight players in total have been granted exceptional player status in the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), of which include Connor McDavid, John Tavares, Aaron Ekblad, Shane Wright, Joe Veleno, Sean Day and Michael Misa. DuPont will not be eligible for the NHL Draft until 2027, the WHL’s next big star could be entering fans across the WHL as early as this fall.