CALGARY – If there was ever any question his life is about to change, it was answered when Landon DuPont woke up to a video message from Connor Bedard on Monday morning.
It came mere hours before the 14-year-old Calgarian was introduced as the second player in Western Hockey League history, behind Bedard, to be granted exceptional-player status. The status allows him to enter the draft a year early.
“I almost blacked out,” smiled the soft-spoken son of former Flames defenceman Micki DuPont at a historic press conference, with family by his side.
“He’s been such a role model for me and so many other players out there, and he’s really grown the game of hockey.
“Just watching him every day, it’s crazy to see what he’s done, and what he keeps doing.
“He just told me to keep having fun and being a kid. That’s what it’s all about.”
If there needed to be a reminder of just how young DuPont is, it comes with his admission that while sitting in his Grade 9 math class at Edge Prep School he’s been known to practise his autograph.
“I have,” chuckled DuPont, who has rarely been asked for it to this point.
“Sometimes when I’m sitting in class I’ll be doodling it on the side of the paper.
“I kind of scribble a bit. ‘LD’ and then a small 10. I’ve got to work on it a bit. It can’t be long.”
No, it can’t, especially if his game continues to grow at the rate several of the other eight young men given similar clearance experienced when they too were allowed to play junior in the CHL at age 15.
That list includes Bedard, Connor McDavid, John Tavares and Aaron Ekblad, who all went on to be selected first overall in the NHL Draft.
DuPont isn’t eligible to be drafted into the bigs until 2027, but is a cinch to go first overall in the WHL draft on May 9 to Everett, Wash., where he and his family visited Sunday.
“I’m very humbled and very honored to have been granted this, but I still have so much hard work and room to grow,” said the young man, complete with the requisite flow and sockless loafers that have become hockey staples.
“It’s just one of the steps to the next level.”
DuPont, just the third defenceman to be granted exceptional-player status, dominated against kids much older this season, scoring 24 goals and adding 78 points in just 35 games for the Edge School U18 Prep team.
No wonder his hockey heroes include Rasmus Dahlin and fellow Calgarian Cale Makar.
He applied for exceptional status before Christmas and was vetted by a three-person committee put together by Hockey Canada that delved as deeply into his skills, as his character and maturity.
“The term exceptional is not reserved just for a player — the term exceptional is reserved equally as importantly, and maybe more importantly, for the person,” said Scott Salmond, senior vice-president of hockey operations for Hockey Canada.
“Certainly when you watch Landon play you’re drawn to his skill, his skating, his talent, his edgework, and his vision on the ice. But when you get a chance to meet him and to get to know him a little bit you also understand the idea of exceptional character, exceptional integrity and exceptional maturity, which for a 14-year-old who is going to play next year as a 15-year-old with 20-years-olds, is the most important thing.”
Salmond said “very few” players apply for exceptional-player status, and pointed out that while there’s “a great danger” putting young men in a position to play with older athletes if they’re not prepared for it, you’re also doing deserving players a disservice if you don’t allow them the best opportunity to keep developing.
“When you look at the history of players granted exceptional-player status, it speaks to their character,” said Salmond.
“It’s interesting for me to be part of all nine, to see what type of men they’ve turned into, which is representative of the type of young men they were.”
WHL commissioner Dan Near welcomed DuPont to the “Dub,” praised the young man’s character and said he was excited for him to continue his hockey development, “in the best possible environment with the best coaches, best facilities and best playing conditions to prepare him for what’s next.”
Plenty of credit goes to DuPont’s mother, Erin, as well as his father, who is well-respected as a person and former star player in Europe where he excelled as an undersized defenceman.
They’ve helped shape a young man Calgarians and Canadians can be proud of, no matter where his career goes.
“Landon is going to have highs and lows, but I think he has a good support system, parents, his older brother (Nolan, a winger with Blackfalds of the AJHL), they’re really good friends, and lots of people he can lean on, and we’ll be there for him,” said Micki, a former CHL defenceman of the year who helped his son decide to choose the WHL over the U.S. college route.
“He’s been such a good role model,” added Landon, prompting a big grin from dad.
“My brother and I used to joke that it sucks having a dad that’s gone through it all because sometimes he would wake us up early in the morning and make us do hard work. But it all pays off thanks to him. We’re so grateful to have him and I want to thank him for everything.”
At that point, Micki leaned over to his son and joked quietly, “good answer.’
Mom said it best when asked her thoughts on what lies ahead for her five-foot-11, 170-pound boy, who will be pursuing life in the WHL alongside 20-year-olds.
“No. 1 is just making sure he has fun and he’s still a kid — that’s really our focus,” she smiled, promising to visit him often.
“Time will tell what that looks like.”