The next star defensive player in the NHL could be somewhere in the northern suburbs of Seattle. At 15 years old, young Landon DuPont is already making his mark in the Western Junior League (WHL) and even drawing comparisons with… Bobby Orr.
Well, comparing a teenager who only has a few hairs on his chin and who has only played around twenty matches in the junior ranks to the one who is considered by many to be the best defender of all time, it is perhaps -be a little strong, right?
One thing is certain, few defensemen his age have generated as much excitement as the Calgary native, who plays for the Everett Silvertips in the WHL.
And that’s why some observers believe he’s the best 15-year-old fullback since the great Bobby Orr.
Ah, yes, we forgot: the name of Cale Makar is also mentioned for comparison when we talk about the 5 ft., 11 in., 179 lb. right-handed defenseman.
Just that.
A young person like the others
But that doesn’t seem to bother the young DuPont too much, who, after all, has had to deal with the attention that comes with his unique talent from a very young age.
“I have always had to live with media attention and I learned to manage it,” he confided in a telephone interview with The Journal. This year, I’m doing my best to worry about it as little as possible. It’s difficult sometimes, but I’m starting to get used to it. On the other hand, it’s flattering to be compared to such great players. Cale Makar is a player I always wanted to take an example from. I want to be like him.”
Photo fournie par Andy Glass/Everett Silvertips
It’s one thing to say that you handle pressure and expectations well, but it’s another to apply it on a daily basis. According to his coach Steve Hamilton, the Silvertips player who best manages the media attention around DuPont this season is… DuPont himself!
“For everyone in the locker room, it’s a little new, whereas for Landon, he’s been living with it forever. He has always been a special player and I think he has learned to remain very humble despite the expectations. He’s a very mature young person who just wants to live a normal life.”
An undeniable impact
Last summer, DuPont became the second player in WHL history to achieve exceptional player status, after Connor Bedard, which allowed him to make his debut at the junior level at age 15.
Claimed first overall by the Silvertips, DuPont demonstrated that he fully deserved this status, since after his first 21 games in the WHL, he accumulated 22 points, including five goals, which places him eighth in points. among defensemen in the WHL.
We remind you that he is only 15 years old and will only be 16 at the end of May.
“He has such an impact on every game. He makes a difference every time he is on the ice. When he plays against his age group, he’s just…” says Steve Hamilton, letting a laugh complete his sentence.
Fear of nothing
And he knows something about it. A native of the Calgary area and head coach of the WHL Hitmen until last season, he followed DuPont long before having him under his wing with the Silvertips. His son even faced him a few times in the minors.
Hamilton therefore knew of DuPont’s talent, but admits that he had no idea that the transition to the junior ranks would go so well for him.
“He’s not afraid of anything and that’s an incredible quality to have. What he manages to do every night being the youngest player on the ice is exceptional.”
DuPont will be eligible for the NHL draft in 2027. Until then, remember his name, we will hear about him.
He was born in Switzerland
Landon DuPont is the son of former NHL player Micki DuPont, who played a few games in the NHL in the early 2000s, but mostly enjoyed a career in the minors and then in Europe. It was also in Switzerland that Landon was born, while his father played for the Kloten Flyers in the National League A. It was there that he made his hockey debut before moving to Germany when his father signed with the Berlin Eisbären (Polar Bears). The family returned to Canada in 2019.
“Hockey is very different there,” he admitted. There aren’t as many good players and there was only one real program where I stayed. I still have excellent memories of it.”
A little message from Connor Bedard
Shortly after receiving exceptional player status, Landon DuPont woke up one morning and looked at his cell phone to see that he had been sent a video message. The provenance: a certain Connor Bedard. The Chicago Blackhawks forward took the time to congratulate him, who had experienced the same thing in 2021 when he also obtained exceptional player status.
“He just told me he was there if I needed anything and to make sure I didn’t get caught up in distractions and expectations.”
Has he taken the time to call her so far to ask for advice?
“Not yet!” he said.
Acquired through Olen Zellweger
Normally, teams that draft a player first overall are in the middle of a rebuilding process and are flirting more with the bottom of the rankings than with the top. That’s not the case for the Silvertips, who sit atop the WHL standings with a 19-3-3 record.
The reason is simple: it was not with their first choice that they drafted DuPont, but rather with the one obtained from the Kamloops Blazers in the megatransaction which sent Olen Zellweger to Kamloops in 2023, the year in which the organization received the Memorial Cup tournament.
Remember that the Blazers acquired Zellweger as well as Ryan Hofer in return for four players and ten draft picks, including first-round selections in 2023, 2024 (DuPont), 2025 and 2026.
Not a bad return!
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