RD Landon Dupont - Everett Silvertips, WHL (2027 Draft)
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Bubbles
Die Hard for Bedard 2023
Mathieukferland
Registered User
At 4:33 in that video there’s a highlight of him with the tomahawk stride to switch direction backward to forward; it’s an insanely hard footwork sequence to pull off and I’ve only ever seen Makar do it in the NHL (lots of forwards, notably Crosby, do it, but not to change backward to forwards, rather to face the play). That level of skill is insane for a 15 year old and if that’s the base footwork he’s dealing with at 15, the sky is the limit
- Jul 25, 2007
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I thought it was an awesome video and at 15 he looks like he has a huge number of the physical tools already. That said, I don't think the transition you're describing is that uncommon... I am a scrub beer leaguer and I use a similar transition often when going from defense to attack in the NZ or when cycling from the blue line in the OZ. He's handling the puck at speed skating backwards on his backhand, and he opens the hips to step through onto his forehand. Pretty standard.
Again, this is not to say I'm any good. Just that his skating looks incredible, but not to me because of that specific footwork sequence. Just one of many plays from the video where he looked like a great skater and skilled player.
Bubbles
Die Hard for Bedard 2023
After a couple of games, I'm pretty impressed. He has a lot to learn, but the potential is sky high:
Pros:
His skating is elite. Both forwards and backwards. Sometimes, he'll use his skating to get out of tricky spots.
Passing is very good, always head up and often spots the open man. One timer is OK, haven't really seen his shot, he did deke on a breakaway but just missed:
Cons:
Doesn't really play defensively at all. But that's easy to teach.
He is overly aggressive on the offensive end. Often positions himself at the top of the circles which is way too deep for a D-man.
Pros:
His skating is elite. Both forwards and backwards. Sometimes, he'll use his skating to get out of tricky spots.
Passing is very good, always head up and often spots the open man. One timer is OK, haven't really seen his shot, he did deke on a breakaway but just missed:
Cons:
Doesn't really play defensively at all. But that's easy to teach.
He is overly aggressive on the offensive end. Often positions himself at the top of the circles which is way too deep for a D-man.
Pavel Buchnevich
"Pavel Buchnevich The Fake"
Meh 15 years old and defense is a really hard position to play especially against older competition. But doesn't mean that it won't hurt his development if his confidence gets shaky early on
Bubbles
Die Hard for Bedard 2023
I think some would say yes, but he's been the most talented player on every team he's been on, so it's hard to blame him too much when he can regularly transition the puck out of his own end by himself. I think he has the tools to be a high end defender, because of his agile skating and high IQ. He's not thin, either, so I don't think strength will be an issue for him.
Pavel Buchnevich
"Pavel Buchnevich The Fake"
You can’t just poo-poo a main part of the game. It’s important to know if he’s never been any good at defense or whether he’s struggling because of his age and the jump to a better league.
At this point it doesn't really matter as his skillset simply makes him the #1 guy for the 27 draft right now as he has the skillset to become a capable defender but his offense is off the charts because of that skating and his size isn't going to hold him back.
Its always been a question mark because he never had to actually play defense before. His dad was his coach and there were never any repercussions. The skillset offensively is undeniable, I think we will learn a lot about his defensive play as the year progresses.
Pavel Buchnevich
"Pavel Buchnevich The Fake"
How can you say that? A one way defenseman is without a doubt before the overwhelming majority of the draft has entered junior around the world a guaranteed 1OA?
And I’m not even suggesting that’s what his game amounts to, but you are arguing for that.
Look at Parekh. One way, some of the best draft eligible defenseman stats in the CHL ever, and barely made the top 10. In fact, there has not been a one-way offensive defenseman below 6’0 that went in the top five as far back as I’ve been following the NHL draft.
Mathieukferland
Registered User
To be fair I’ve yet to watch Dupont live, but it would be pretty hard to be less defensively responsible than Parekh, who is one of the worst arbiters of risk/reward I’ve seen from a high end défense prospect in, well, forever. Just based on the shift complications of his first few games in Everett, Dupont looks like he has a much better sense of positioning than Parekh, as well as someone who defends the middle of the ice out on transition, whereas Parekh has a bad habit of defending from the wall out
He's 15 and excelling in the WHL that makes him the frontrunner and he hasn't had to play defense but with his body and skating yes he is the front runner for me for the 27 draft right now.
I think that he is miles ahead of Parekh at the same age and is an elite skater and gives me Makar vibes...time will tell but what he is doing right now is special.
All one has to do is watch this shift by shift to see how good he is already at 15.
landy92mack29
Registered User
Cale Makar but Dupont isn't bad defensively, at least wasn't last year when I watched him in AAA. Yet to see Everett play this year
Watch his WSI games from last summer. Think they're all online. Very careless, or "non-interested" defense.
Those top d are always fighting for points and all cheat at those ages. It’s pretty common to be honest. They’ll fix it.
Pavel Buchnevich
"Pavel Buchnevich The Fake"
If he gave you Makar vibes, you wouldn’t be poo-pooing his defensive game. Thats like saying Ohtani gives you Babe Ruth vibes and only mentioning his prodigious slugging. Makar is a very good defensive player.
Was Makar bad defensively when drafted? As an Avs fan you know he’s very good defensively now, and it sells him short when other people have insinuated he’s only good when he has the puck on his stick.
Is Dupont a 25 draft, did his age change, did you watch the video that was presented twice now?
He is 15 and his draft is 3 drafts away from now and he already looks like he understands posting and his skating will help him a lot defensively.
I have no idea how good defensively Makar was at 15 playing 3 games for the Brooks Bandits in the AJHL after playing the season in the AMHL but chances are that no one was confusing him with a future Slavin.
landy92mack29
Registered User
Makar is pretty bad defensively and Toews covers a lot of his warts. He can recover well because of his skating but his in zone especially on the cycle or net front defending I find quite bad.
Outside of Day, they’ve all deserved it though imo. Sure the case is still out on Misa, but he’s an excellent young player and showed he was ready to play at 15. There were some good 06’s in that draft for sure, but he is the best still imo. Him or Martone. You could have made the case for Schaefer getting it as well, two in the same year, but he didn’t play a year up.
Day has never made the NHL.
Pavel Buchnevich
"Pavel Buchnevich The Fake"
You are moving the goalposts.
The discussion is whether defense is a part of his tool kit. If it's not, he's probably not going in the top 5. It doesn't matter how good he is with the puck or skates, a defenseman who doesn't defend isn't valued that high by NHL teams, and that's been proven out throughout the draft.
I have no opinion on what his defense projects as. I fully recognize his age and the league. I made no commentary on what his defense is. I hope it ends up good because I recognize that if it's nonexistent then he probably won't live up to the ES tag.
What I'm making a commentary on is the idea that you have put forward (and to be fair not the only one to take this line of thinking) that he's guaranteed to be a 1OA and his defense won't matter because he has an amazing puck game. I think that's very naive thinking.
He played 2 games for the Lightning in 21-22.
Makar was an unknown entity at the age we’re talking about DuPont though. Believe it or not, but at the world junior A showcase in Cobourg, Makar was not talked about nearly as much as the much more highly touted Dante Fabbro on Canada West. That was when everyone started to talk about Makar as an NHL prospect.
