The Western Hockey League (WHL) introduced its newest “exceptional player” on Monday in Calgary.
Judging by the praise being heaped on Landon DuPont, the 14-year-old is going to be a player worth watching.
“When you watch Landon play, you are drawn to his skill, to his skating and his talent, his vision on the ice … But when you have the opportunity to meet him and to talk to him, you also understand the idea of exceptional character, exceptional integrity and exceptional maturity,” said Scott Salmond, senior vice-president of high performance and hockey operations with Hockey Canada.
It’s those characteristics and DuPont’s undeniable skill that led to him being granted exceptional status to play as a 15-year-old in the Western Hockey League.
“I think there’s going to be challenges along the way, but I think I have a good support system around me with my coaches and advisers and family. Everyone helped me along the way. I don’t think there’s anything I can’t handle,” DuPont told reporters at the press conference.
DuPont has been playing with the Edge Hockey program, leading his squad in scoring with 62 points and setting a single-season scoring record for a defenceman.
Salmond says there’s a danger in putting young men into a position with older athletes but he stands by the track record of the eight other young hockey players who have been granted exceptional player status.
“I think we’ve been successful in that. You don’t always get it right from a hockey side, but it’s probably more important to get it right from a maturity side,” Salmond said. “When you look at the history of the players who have been granted exceptional player status, I think it speaks to them as people.”
Salmond said getting the status comes from the belief that “the player is so exceptional that without being granted that opportunity to play at a higher level, it will be a detriment to their development.”
DuPont is now the ninth player and third defenceman to be granted exceptional status. Connor Bedard is the only other player to be given the special privilege in the WHL.
“I think we’re very mindful of trying to create an environment that is not overwhelming or disruptive to Landon’s life as a young man, as a teenager, as a high school student,” said WHL commissioner Dan Near.
“Inevitably there will be some challenges that he will have to deal with — the adversity and the highs and the lows of winning and losing and the pressure and the media — but we saw a video this morning that Connor sent to Landon, and I expect that those two will become friends as they begin to share experiences and learn from one another,” Near said.
“And his parents and Landon’s parents will want to develop a relationship, because there’s no better example than the one from Connor Bedard and he did it with such grace and so successfully,” Near said.
DuPont said Bedard has been a role model for him.
“He just told me to keep having fun and keep being a kid, that’s what it’s all about,” DuPont said.
The blueliner was born in Calgary and raised in Switzerland and Germany where his dad, Micki, played hockey.
“The number one thing is just making sure he has fun and that he’s still a kid so that’s really our focus,” said Erin DuPont, Landon’s mom.
Landon said he plans on ignoring all the chatter on social media and focusing on what he loves to do.
“I don’t play it for the likes and the clicks online. I play to have fun with my friends and teammates,” DuPont said.