DuPont, preliminary players to watch list covered on 'NHL Draft Class'

Landon DuPont, a freshman defenseman at the University of Michigan, is in a class by himself when it comes to the evaluation of top prospects available for the 2027 NHL Draft, according to NHL Central Scouting director Karl Stewart.

"There's a lot of good players, but I just don't see any players of that ilk right now," Stewart said on the latest edition of the "NHL Draft Class" podcast. "There's a bigger book on Landon. We've been watching him for a few more years than some of these other kids, so I think there's more of a comfort level.

"If you've got that No. 1 pick, are you going to pick someone who's a little less proven? Right now, I don't see it."

DuPont is one of 28 players to receive an A rating in NHL Central Scouting's preliminary players to watch list, which was released Monday. But the freshman forward is the most prominent.

DuPont (5-foot-11, 192 pounds), who won't turn 18 until May 28, is the youngest player in NCAA men’s hockey, and has six assists, 14 shots on goal and a plus-6 rating while averaging 18:13 of ice time in six games.

He jumped to NCAA hockey this season after two seasons with Everett of the Western Hockey League. Last season he tied for fourth among WHL defensemen with 73 points (18 goals, 55 assists) in 63 games and was a finalist for the WHL Defenseman of the Year award. He then led WHL defensemen with 23 points (five goals, 18 assists) in 18 playoff games to help the Silvertips win the league championship.

PDF: Central Scouting Preliminary Players to Watch List

DuPont began this season with eight points (two goals, six assists) to help Canada as team captain win the gold medal at the 2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

He has been in the spotlight since 2024 when he became the second player and first defenseman to be granted exceptional player status to compete in the Western Hockey League as a 15-year-old, following Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard in 2020. 

Stewart also shared his feelings about several other A-rated players, including forward Dima Zhilkin of Saginaw in the Ontario Hockey League.

"When you have the skill, when you have the sense, when you have those natural offensive instincts," Stewart said, "combined with just a relentless motor, a relentless work ethic, someone who battles every shift, when your best player is your hardest working player on the ice, that's a good start."

Zhilkin (5-11, 195), who along with DuPont is filing an NHL Draft Diary for NHL.com this season, is tied for the OHL lead with 24 points (12 goals, 12 assists) in 13 games.

Co-hosts Adam Kimelman and Mike G. Morreale also discussed A-rated players on the International list, and other leagues throughout North America.

The podcast is free, and listeners can subscribe on all podcast platforms, including iTunes and Spotify. It also is available on NHL.com/multimedia/podcasts and the NHL app.