The potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2027 NHL Entry Level Draft, Landon DuPont, is reportedly headed to the college ranks for the 2026-27 season. This is a prime opportunity for Michigan to add a potentially landscape-changing player.<\/p>\n
Here is what The Athletic\u2019s Scott Wheeler ($)<\/a> recently had to say:<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a poorly kept secret that he\u2019s going to accelerate and play college hockey in his draft year next season. It\u2019s just a matter of where. As soon as he catches his breath here, he\u2019s going to have to decide on that destination. The sense I\u2019ve had for the last while is that Michigan is the front-runner, and I don\u2019t think that\u2019s changed.\u201d<\/p>\n The program has obviously done well to attract elite talent over the years, and landing someone like DuPont could help shape the future of the program\u2019s recruiting pitch in this new era.<\/p>\n \u201cDenver has expressed interest. They\u2019re also in the mix for top 2026 D Daxon Rudolph, and already landed D Ryan Lin, but DuPont is DuPont, and he\u2019s the big domino to fall. David Carle has expressed publicly and privately that he feels his name constantly being linked to NHL coaching vacancies has negatively impacted Denver\u2019s recruiting over the last couple of summers, but the talk is just that, and he has been intensely focused on the Pioneers and preparing for another run at another national championship next season.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think you can count out Michigan State, either. According to a college hockey source, MSU commit Tommy Bleyl is currently planning to return to Moncton in the QMJHL next season, which means the Spartans have one D spot they still need to fill.\u201d<\/p>\n