Edge Faculty phenom to turn into solely second WHL participant to be granted such designation behind Connor Bedard
Article content material
Landon DuPont is getting an edge few phenoms have ever had in Canadian junior hockey circles.
Connor Bedard-like, actually.
Article content material
The Calgarian — a star regionally at Edge Faculty — is being granted distinctive standing to play as a 15-year-old within the Western Hockey League.
“I simply strive not to consider it an excessive amount of and attempt to play my sport and have enjoyable on the market,” DuPont informed Postmedia in December.
Commercial 2
Article content material
The WHL has referred to as a information convention for Monday afternoon, with 14-year-old defenceman DuPont anticipated to be awarded ‘distinctive standing’.
That’s he’ll be granted exemption from the same old WHL age-eligibility guidelines that comply with for a draftee by with the ability to play greater than 5 top-tier junior video games as a 15-year-old.
“I might say that I’m an offensive d-man that skates alright,” DuPont mentioned in December. “I prefer to assume I’m fairly sensible with the puck.”
DuPont turns into the ninth prospect in Canadian Junior Hockey League historical past to be designated with such a exceptional tag.
Solely Bedard has been given such particular privilege by the WHL, whereas the Ontario Hockey League awarded distinctive standing to John Tavares (2005), Aaron Ekblad (2011), Connor McDavid (2012), Sean Day (2013), Shane Wright (2019) and Michael Misa (2022) and Joseph Veleno (2015) was given it by the Quebec Main Junior Hockey League.
DuPont’s present coach, James Poole of the Edge Faculty Below-18 Prep Mountaineers — a Canadian Sport Faculty Hockey League workforce based mostly simply west of Calgary — informed Postmedia in December that the honour is according to the younger defenceman’s trajectory within the sport.
Midday Information Roundup
Article content material
Commercial 3
Article content material
“Landon’s particular,” agreed Poole. “He’s a famous person within the making. He’s the actual deal. For a defenceman to do what he does and the way a lot the sport revolves round him, it’s simply so particular.”
This previous season, Dupont set a brand new document for blue-liners within the CCSHL’s U18 Prep division with 19 targets and 43 assists in 30 video games.
He additionally led Edge to a second-straight championship, with 16 factors — together with a document 11 assists — in 5 playoff video games to tie the U18 Prep Western Championships excessive mark.
“Cale Makar involves thoughts, about how a lot the sport revolves round him,” Poole mentioned. “So I actually evaluate Landon to that participant. Everybody likes to say their man is Cale Makar. However I feel we’ve bought the actual deal right here that legitimately performs like him and may really take over a sport like him.”
DuPont’s dad, Micki, performed 18 video games for the NHL’s Calgary Flames over two seasons within the early 2000s.
All totalled, the elder DuPont skated in 23 video games — tallying 4 factors — with the Flames, the Pittsburgh Penguins and the St. Louis Blues.
After all, his son is anticipated to be the highest choice total within the 2024 WHL Prospects Draft on Could 9, with the Everett Silvertips proudly owning that alternative — acquired in a trade-deadline deal made final yr with the Kamloops Blazers.
Commercial 4
Article content material
“For all of the offensive instincts Landon has and the way aggressively he performs the sport, he’s not often on the mistaken facet of the puck,” added Poole. “And if he does, he’s capable of make it up fairly fast and he’s bought an awesome stick. So he’s a participant that you should utilize any state of affairs. It’s good to have a man that not solely is offensive — he generates rather a lot — however is defensively dependable again there. He appears to have the ability to modify and simply has that different gear to his sport that it seems to be like he’s going one million miles an hour however thinks it slower than anybody else and simply the sport slows all the way down to him.
“And he will get it — he acts like a professional at 14 years previous, which is particular. And he doesn’t simply ask for any particular remedy, which can be particular. He simply needs to be one of many 20 gamers. In order a coach, it’s form of refreshing while you get a child that’s that particular. There’s no perspective that comes with it. He simply likes to play the sport and likes to be on the rink.”
tsaelhof@postmedia.com
http://www.x.com/ToddSaelhofPM
Article content material
