Scouting Report: Breaking down top 2027 NHL Draft prospect Landon DuPont’s NCAA debut
It’s the start of a new era.
Top 2027 NHL Draft prospect Landon DuPont made his NCAA men’s hockey debut on Friday, suiting up for the legendary University of Michigan Wolverines (wearing No. 8) in a 7-2 win over Bowling Green. It was the start of what will likely be a one-and-done year for DuPont, who most expect to go first overall next June.
This transition came after two excellent seasons with the WHL’s Everett Silvertips. The NCAA’s new ruling allowing players with CHL experience to make the jump made DuPont’s move possible, and he was easily the most sought-after freshman on the recruiting market.
DuPont played on the top pairing with Edmonton Oilers prospect Asher Barnett, who’s known more for his defensive style. That allowed DuPont to fly freely along the ice and generate quality scoring chances, allowing him to register a pair of assists in the second period. Michigan’s coaching staff did a good job of rotating lines frequently, so nobody was getting seriously heavy minutes. But it still felt like DuPont was the one making the most plays from the point tonight.
DuPont was on the ice for the first Bowling Green goal against while on the penalty kill. He did get a little flat-footed there, but that wasn’t a great penalty kill from the group as a whole. We did see him share the blue line with Henry Mews on the power play, and the puck kept coming to him. He didn’t end up scoring, but he made some quick, accurate passes and had a few really solid looks on the right side. It felt like he was the most mobile of anybody on the man advantage.
As a playmaker, DuPont is one of the more deceptive defenders you’re going to find. He does an excellent job of drawing guys toward him before pivoting quickly and getting the puck where it needs to be. He has always done a good job of finding his teammates in the offensive zone, and opponents never seem to know when he’s going to pull off these moves. The clip above shows something he pulled off a few times today. It didn’t result in a goal, but it shows you what he’s capable of with the puck.
As DuPont started to really figure out the pace, the game started to look a bit easier for him. You could tell he was still trying to figure out how to play with his teammates, which was a major theme for everyone on the ice tonight. With no preseason action, it was a bit of a mess for both teams, especially early on. DuPont was a bit more energized and free-flowing to start the game, but he started to relax a bit and made smarter decisions as the game went on. That’s what helped lead to his two assists in the second period, starting with the secondary helper on Cole McKinney’s go-ahead goal.
DuPont is better as a distributor than a shooter, but he’s fully capable of getting pucks on net. His shot from above the right faceoff circle resulted in Jayden Perron tapping in the 4-1 goal, with DuPont snagging the primary assist.
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Like most modern-day defenders, DuPont is incredible with the puck, moving quickly and decisively. He’s more creative than any defenseman we’ve seen in quite some time. With the extra space, DuPont can absolutely take over a power play, either firing a hard shot or using it to take defenders out of position before setting up someone else.
DuPont’s game was a hot topic at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup. At times, he didn’t seem to impact the game in ways you’d expect from a potential first-round pick. In others, he was downright dominant, especially during his four-assist effort against the United States. What made that possible was DuPont’s ability to use his stick so effectively, no matter the situation. He reacts so quickly, and even though he’s not huge, DuPont routinely gets the stick out for a quick lunge that opponents struggle to deal with.
DuPont didn’t have any Grade-A scoring chances tonight, but that’s not really his game. If you wanted to boil it down in the simplest way possible, it would be that DuPont’s mission is to get the puck where it needs to be at all times, and he can do it better than just about anyone his age.
From a hockey IQ perspective, DuPont already looks at home at this level. He rarely made a bad play under pressure; if he gave away the puck, it was mostly because the attacking player simply made a great play. There’s no live data to work with, but the puck seemed to be in the offensive zone more than it wasn’t with DuPont on the ice. He even had a few solid physical plays, especially on the penalty kill with just over five minutes off the clock in the third. Few players seemed to skate as well as he did late in the game, too.
This is a small sample size, and the game wasn’t particularly close by the halfway point. But DuPont still managed to show that he can handle NCAA hockey – and not only hang with older competition, but also thrive in a way few were able to match tonight.
Not a bad start.
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