WHL 'exceptional status' player Landon Dupont selected first overall

The Western Hockey League (WHL) draft is underway and an "exceptional" 14-year-old player has been selected first overall.

On Thursday, the league announced that Calgary's Landon Dupont was chosen by the Everett Silvertips, a team in a community north of Seattle.

"WE GOT HIM!" the team announced on X.

Dupont, a defenceman with Edge School's U18 team, became the ninth player to be allowed to play in the WHL a full year early.

He joined the likes of Michael Misa, Connor Bedard, Shane Wright, Joe Veleno, Sean Day, Connor McDavid, Aaron Ekblad and John Tavares with the honour of players granted exceptional status to play in the Canadian Hockey League.

Dupont, whose father played for the Calgary Flames, will be in Grade 10 when the WHL season begins.