Only nine players in Canadian Hockey League (CHL) history have been granted exceptional status.
The list includes John Tavares, Aaron Ekblad, Connor McDavid, Sean Day, Joe Veleno, Shane Wright, and Michael Misa. Tavares, Ekblad, McDavid, Day, Wright, and Misa were all granted the status to play in the Ontario Hockey League while Veleno was granted to play in the QMJHL.
In Western Hockey League (WHL) history, only two players have been granted exceptional status, the first of which was Connor Bedard. Those granted exceptional can play Major Junior full-time at 15 years old. On Tuesday, the second player in WHL history and the first defenceman in league history will be in Brandon to play the Wheat Kings.
Landon DuPont leads the Everett Silvertips into Westoba Place as the 'Tips go up against the Wheat Kings. A first-overall pick in the 2024 Draft, Dupont spent last season with the Edge School U18 Prep squad in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League. He scored 19 goals with 62 points in 30 regular season games. He then added 16 points in five playoff games, helping his team win the championship and he was also named the tournament's MVP.
In a release earlier this year, DuPont was grateful for the opportunity.
“It is such an honour for me to receive Exceptional Player Status from Hockey Alberta and Hockey Canada. I’m extremely humbled to have received this designation,” DuPont said in the release. “I would like to thank my family, all of my coaches, trainers, advisors, and most of all, my teammates, through my entire hockey journey for helping me get to this point. I’m excited to continue my development in the WHL and will work hard every day to continue to improve.”
In his first five WHL games, DuPont has six points. He scored his first career goal on October 4 in a 3-2 overtime win against Brayden Dube of Roblin and the Prince Albert Raiders.
Tuesday's game is the only time that DuPont will be in Brandon this season which means if you're looking for something to do, you could witness history inside Westoba Place. Brandon (4-1-0-1) sits in a tie for first in the Eastern Conference while Everett (4-1-0-0) is two points behind Spokane for first place in the Western Conference.
Brandon's roster also features plenty of local talent as Brady Turko (McCreary) and Easton Odut (Dauphin) are on the team. Brady has two assists in six games while Odut has one goal across four games. The game will also feature Jaxon Jacobson who many expect to be in contention for Rookie of the Year, one year removed from producing one of the best individual seasons in Canadian AAA history.
Tuesday's game is at 7 p.m. and you can get your tickets at DuPont vs Wheat Kings.
