Brodie Dupont

People haven't really talked him up much, but in the new year, he has been on an offensive tear. He wasn't scoring much early, but was still garnering some attention form the scouting community because of his aggressive forechecking, kamikazie type play, and all around toughness.

He's up to 13 goals now with the Hitmen, and if there is to be a draft this year, I think he'd be worth a Day 1 pick. He stands at 6'2, 190, and is likely to put on a few more pounds as he matures. Physically, he does it all. He's aggressive and relentless on the forecheck, throws his weight around, knocks guys around and is more than willing to drop the gloves. He's not the most graceful skater, but once he gets a head of steam, watch out. And now his hands are starting to catch up with the rest of his game.

Just curious if anyone else has seen him play this season and what those people think of his chances of being a Day 1 pick.........

 

http://www.hfboards.com/showthread.php?t=124256&highlight=dupont

I've seen him only once and was very impressed with what I saw.

Maybe a guy that rises in the draft.

 

I like him as well. Reminds me of a Jason Wiemer although I think Dupont may end up as a better skater.

You have to love how physically agressive he is as a 17 year old. Very strong on his skates. Hold his own in fights. Punishing hitter on the forecheck.

I don't think he has the offensive talent to play on the top two lines but I think he'd make a great powerforward on a checking line.

 

Biggest sleeper in the WHL. He looks to me like one of those guys who is ready to break out; I really like the way he has improved over the course of the season.

 

He looks tough out there.
What do you guys think of the rookie Ryan White?

 

Still needs some work on his skating. He hasn't really stood out to me.

 

I like Dupont a lot more than his teammate Riley Merkley, although Merkley is higher-rated and got an invite to the prospects game. Dupont is an easy projection - crashes, bangs, goes to the net, and it's easy to picture him on an NHL checking line. Merkley is bigger (or at least taller) and has more natural skill, but I don't think he projects terribly well. The extra skill and hands still won't be nearly enough to put him on an NHL scoring line, and when it comes to the 3rd/4th line stuff Dupont is way ahead.

Unlike most of his draft-eligible peers, Dupont is a CHL rookie which sort of put him behind the 8-ball the first half of the season as he learned the league. 10 goals in his last 20 games or so is really impressive.

 

Agreed on Merkley. I find he just doesn't compete enough for my taste. The puck could be just laying in the corner with Merkley able to retrieve it first if he skated full speed but then he ends up putting in a half assed effort. He's just not enough of a consistent force.

Not a huge Merkley fan overall. And I was there for his hattrick game!

 

He is wildly inconsistent. He is very solid defensively, smart in all three zones, but he leaves you wanting more offensively. Some games, he's all over the place, creating scoring chances for himself, and others, but more often then not, he's too passive and not involved enough physically. I could see him as 4th line, PK specialist, maybe along the lines of a Darby Hendrickson(1st player to come to my mind).

As for Ryan White, he's slowed down over the course of the last couple weeks, but he has shown enough over the course of the season to warrant some attention for next year. Kisio seems to like him. He's a high energy guy, kind of like Steve Covington, but with more offense to his game. He's a pretty good playmaker and while his finishing skills need work, he is a rookie and likely to get better in that area.

Another couple Hitmen prospects to watch are Keegan Dansereau(06) and Karl Alzner(07 I think). Dansereau can flat out fly, and though he sees limited ice time, displays an enormous amount of energy, crashing and banging all over the place, and you can see he has some offensive flair to his game. Alzner has progressively gotten better as the season has wore on, limiting his mistakes. He's not very flashy, and doesn't make too many risks, but he's the kind of guy you'd pair up with a more offensive type defender. By the time it's his draft year, it will be his 3rd full season in the WHL, and will likely be one of those "safe" prospects as in what you see is what you get.

 

In my view Dupont is in the same mold as Dane Byers but with more offensive upside. And Byers went in the 2nd round last season (much too high IMO). Then again, it was the Rangers picking.