TSN is reporting that Sean Day, a 15-year-old defensemen with the Compuware Under-16 hockey team, was granted exceptional player status by Hockey Canada on Wednesday.
If the decision is made official, Day will be eligible for the 2013 Ontario Hockey League draft; usually the draft is restricted to 16-year-olds.
The 6-foot-2, 194-pound blueliner has three goals and eight assists in 25 games this season with Compuware.
Day was born in Belgium to Canadian parents, but has played his minor hockey in the Detroit area with the Little Caesars and Honeybaked programs before switching to Compuware this season.
If Day is granted exceptional player status, it would mark the third straight year a player has received that honor, following Barrie Colts defenseman Aaron Ekblad (2011) and Erie Otters forward Connor McDavid (2012). The only other player to receive the designation is current New York Islanders center John Tavares (2005).
Tavares, Ekblad and McDavid all were chosen first in their respective OHL drafts.
The Ottawa 67's have the first pick in the 2013 OHL draft and reportedly are choosing between Day, center Travis Konecny and center Dylan Strome.
Regardless of whether Day receives exceptional player status or not, it does not change his NHL Draft status -- Day won't be eligible until 2016.
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