Updated: Mar 22
After joining the Everett Silvertips of the WHL at the start of the 2024/25 season at the age of 15, generational defenceman prospect Landon DuPont, has started the year miraculously, and could be on his way to a monstrous season, at the age of only 15. DuPont who is eligible for the 2027 NHL draft has arguably already solidified his spot as the first overall pick in the draft after showcasing his amazing skills and potential at such a young age. Through his first 34 WHL games with the Silvertips, the young defenceman has racked up 41 points in his first 34 WHL games, and is currently on pace for 77 points in 67 games in his first year, 11 more points than Connor McDavid scored in his first year in the WHL as a 15 year old.
So far DuPont has scored 10 goals on the season, but more impressively has 31 assists, tied for the most assists on the Silvertips this year. On top of being the joint assist leader, he currently sits above 4 NHL prospects in points, and is 4th in the teams overall points, already making his mark on the WHL as a 15 year old kid.
Aside from the amazing point production, and potential DuPont is showing through his first half of the season, his on ice abilities really show his role and brilliance as a player. Similar to many defencemen who enter the NHL in the modern era, he is an amazing two way player, with an equal amount of offensive and defensive awareness, and silky smooth hands to maneuver his way through traffic down the ice. On top of his ability to move the puck up and down the ice, his speed and agility allows him to turn on a dime, and quickly make plays at any end of the ice. Similarly to elite NHL D-Men such as Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes, he already has the ability to pick pucks up in any area of the ice, and uses the poke check well to retrieve the puck, and has excellent vision which allows him to make plays from one end to the other, often with a pick and pass move we have seen from him on a number of occasions this season. Not only does he have the perfect attributes of a solid NHL defenceman, but he has the in-game knowledge and vision to move into space, and operate smoothly around the paint, providing screens and deflections, which only make him a more complete player.
Being as good as DuPont is at his young age only shows how much potential he has, and with at least 2 more season in the WHL maintaining this form and style of play, he will become a household name in the NHL almost instantly, and a draft prospect almost every General manager and coach will drool at.
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