A look at the nine exceptional status players in CHL history

Nine.

Just nine players have ever been granted exceptional status to play in the Canadian Hockey League.

John Tavares blazed the trail as he was the first player to ever be drafted into the CHL as a 14-year-old in 2005 after the Oshawa Generals selected him first overall in the OHL Draft.

Since then, eight other players have followed in his footsteps: Aaron Ekblad (2011), Connor McDavid (2012), Sean Day (2013), Joe Veleno (2015), Shane Wright (2019), Connor Bedard (2020), Michael Misa (2022) and Landon DuPont (2024).

As we celebrate the 50-year history of the CHL, these nine men stand alone as being truly ‘exceptional.’

John Tavares (2005)

Tavares will forever be known as the first exceptional status play in CHL history after he was granted the ability to play in the OHL in 2005. The Oshawa Generals wasted no time in selecting him first overall where Tavares would go on to have one of the best OHL careers in history.

After a 77-point rookie campaign, he was named CHL and OHL Rookie of the Year in 2006. A year later, he followed that up with a 72-goal, 134-point season as he was named the CHL Player of the Year and the OHL’s Most Outstanding Player. In 2007-08, he had 118 points and won his first World Juniors gold medal with Canada.

His final season of junior in 2008-09 saw him again win gold at the World Juniors – where he was also named tournament MVP – while he claimed the CHL’s Top Draft Prospect Award as well as the OHL’s Eddie Powers Trophy.

Tavares played the final 24 games of his career as a member of the London Knights where in all across four OHL seasons, he tallied a remarkable 433 points (215 goals) in 247 games, the fifth most in league history.

The Mississauga, ON., native was subsequently selected first overall in the 2009 NHL Draft by the New York Islanders where he spent the first nine years of his NHL career and was captain in the final five. In 2018, Tavares famously came home to join the Toronto Maple Leafs where he has spent the previous seven campaigns while from 2019-24 he wore the ‘C’.

As an NHLer, Tavares has appeared in nearly 1,200 games and has recorded more than 1,100 points. He is currently six goals shy of being the 49th player to score 500 NHL goals. Now 35, Tavares is a six-time NHL All-Star (2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019) and won gold with Canada at the 2014 Olympics.

Aaron Ekblad (2011)

In 2011, Aaron Ekblad became the first defenceman to ever be granted exceptional status and subsequently joined the Barrie Colts after they made him the first overall pick.

After his first season, he was named the OHL Rookie of the Year in 2012 while in 2014 – at the conclusion of his third and final year with the Colts – he was named the OHL’s Most Outstanding Defenceman after a 53-point campaign. Across 175 games with Barrie, Ekblad recorded 40 goals – tied for the most in franchise history among defencemen – while his 116 points rank eighth.

In 2014, Ekblad was taken first overall by the Florida Panthers where he has spent his entire NHL career to date. His 732 games played and 380 points are the most by a blueliner in team history while he is a two-time Stanley Cup champion (2024, 2025). He also won the Calder Trophy as NHL Rookie of the Year in 2015 and is a two-time NHL All-Star (2015, 2016).

Connor McDavid (2012)

Connor McDavid became the third player to be granted exceptional status in 2012 and the first to join an American based team after being selected first overall by the Erie Otters.

On the heels of a 66-point campaign, he collected OHL Rookie of the Year honours in 2013 while he helped Canada to gold at the U18 World Championships where he led the tournament in scoring and was named MVP. A year later, he tallied 99 points and collected the OHL’s Most Sportsmanlike Player Award but also shined off the ice as he was named CHL and OHL Scholastic Player of the Year.

McDavid’s final CHL year in 2014-15 was special where he registered 120 points in only 47 games and then led Erie to the OHL Championship Series to be named CHL Player of the Year and OHL Most Outstanding Player of the Year. He became a two-time recipient of the CHL and OHL Scholastic Player of the Year while he won his lone World Juniors gold medal with Canada. His 285 points with the Otters are the fourth most in team history while his 1.72 point-per-game average ranks second.

Selected first overall by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2015 NHL Draft, McDavid has gone on to become one of the best players in league history. Last November he became the fourth fastest player in NHL history to 1,000 points and has captained the Oilers to back-to-back appearances in the Stanley Cup Finals.

He is a five-time winner of the Art Ross Trophy, four-time winner of the Ted Lindsay Award, three-time winner of the Hart Trophy and claimed his lone Maurice Richard Trophy in 2023 after a 64-goal season. In 2024 he became the first player in 48 years to lose in the Stanley Cup Finals and earn the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.

Furthermore, he is a seven-time NHL All-Star (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024) and won gold with Canada at the 2025 Four Nations Faceoff and the 2016 IIHF World Championships.

Sean Day (2013)

Sean Day was the fourth overall pick in the 2013 OHL Draft after he was taken by the Mississauga Steelheads.

He spent the first three seasons of his career in Mississauga and began his fourth season with the franchise before he was traded to Memorial Cup hosts Windsor after 183 games with the team. With the Spitfires, Day finished in second in team scoring among defencemen and would make history as the first exceptional status player to win a Memorial Cup after Windsor won the event on home ice after a 4-3 win over Erie.

Day began his final OHL season in 2017-18 with the Spits but was moved to Kingston at the OHL Trade Deadline where they reached the OHL Eastern Conference Championship Series. In all, Day played 291 games in the OHL and tallied 158 points.

The 81st overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft by the New York Rangers, Day made his NHL debut Dec. 28, 2021 with the Tampa Bay Lightning where he made two appearances.

The 27-year-old has also made 277 appearances in the AHL and has also spent time in the ECHL and Sweden’s SHL during his professional career.

Joe Veleno (2015)

In 2015, Joe Veleno became the first – and still only – QMJHL player to receive exceptional status where he was the first overall pick by the Saint John Sea Dogs.

Veleno recorded back-to-back 13-goal, 40-plus point seasons to start his career and in his sophomore season claimed a QMJHL championship to become the first exceptional status player to win his respective member league’s championship.

After a point-per-game pace through 31 games of the 2017-18 season, the Montreal, QC., native was dealt to Drummondville where he added another 48 points. That same season, he also won gold with Canada at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial.

In his final QMJHL season in 2018-19, Veleno had a career high 42 goals and 104 points with the Voltigeurs. All in all, Veleno played 230 games in the Q and recorded 266 points (90 goals).

As an NHLer, Veleno – the 30th overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft by Detroit – has played 306 games and has registered 81 points. Last season, after 288 games with the Red Wings, he was dealt to the Chicago Blackhawks where he played 18 games. This coming season, he is set to suit up with the Montreal Canadiens.

In 2019-20, his first pro season, Veleno spent the year in the AHL with Grand Rapids but was released to play in the 2020 World Juniors where he won gold with Canada.

Shane Wright (2019)

After he was made the first overall pick in the 2019 OHL Draft by the Kingston Frontenacs, Wright starred in his maiden season as he claimed the 2020 CHL and OHL Rookie of the Year award after a 39-goal, 66-point campaign.

In his second OHL season, he registered a career best 94 points while he found the back of the net on 32 occasions to be named the winner of the CHL’s Top Prospect Award. Internationally, he also helped Canada to gold at the U18 World Championships.

That summer, he was the fourth overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft by the Seattle Kraken and broke camp with the club and made eight appearances. After a short stint in the AHL with the Coachella Valley Firebirds, and a gold medal at the 2023 World Juniors, he returned to the OHL to conclude the 2022-23 season but this time as a member of the Windsor Spitfires. He played just 20 games for the Spits but managed 37 points (15 goals) in the process.

Wright made a further eight appearances in the NHL in 2023-24 but spent the majority of the season in the AHL where he had 22 goals and in 57 games and was named to the AHL’s Top Prospects Team.

Last season, Wright played his first full NHL season where he had 44 points in 79 games. To date, the Burlington, ON., native has appeared in 95 games with the Kraken.

Connor Bedard (2020)

Albeit in a shortened season, Connor Bedard immediately starred with the Regina Pats as he was named WHL Rookie of the Year in 2021 after he had 28 goals (12 goals) in 15 games. That same year he also helped Canada to gold at the U18 World Championships where he had seven goals and 14 points in only seven games.

In his first full WHL season in 2021-22, Bedard scored 51 goals and reached 100 points while on the international stage, he again suited up at U18 World Championships while he won gold at the 2022 World Juniors.

His final season in the WHL was simply sensational in 2022-23; he scored 71 goals and recorded 143 points in only 57 games to be named CHL and WHL Player of the Year. Furthermore, he claimed the CHL Top Scorer Award and CHL Top Draft Prospect Award to become the first player in league history to win all three awards in one season. At the 2023 World Juniors, Bedard led Canada to gold with an astonishing 23 points in just seven games to be named the tournament’s most valuable player. In the process, he also became Canada’s all-time points leader at the tournament with 36. He was later honoured as the 2023 IIHF’s Male Player of the Year.

Selected first overall by the Chicago Blackhawks that summer, Bedard has played 145 games with the franchise over the past two seasons where he has scored 45 goals and tallied 128 games. He was the recipient of the Calder Trophy as Rookie of the Year in 2023-24 and was named an NHL All-Star for the first time.

Michael Misa (2022)

The Saginaw Spirit’s Michael Misa wasted no time adapting to the OHL in 2022-23 as in his first year he claimed the league’s Rookie of the Year Award after he had 22 goals and 56 points in only 45 games. He was also selected to the CHL’s All-Rookie Team while he helped Canada Red to silver at the World U17 Hockey Challenge.

His second OHL season began with a gold medal at the 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and he followed that up with a 75-point season. He ended the season as a Memorial Cup champion – becoming the second exceptional status player to do so – after Saginaw beat London on home ice to win the 2024 tournament.

Last season, the Oakville, ON., native exploded for a 62-goal, 134-point season where he took home the CHL’s Top Scorer Award. He was the recipient of the OHL’s Red Tilson Trophy as the league’s most outstanding player while he was also named the league’s scholastic player of the year too.

His incredible 2024-25 season was punctuated by being made the second overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft by the San Jose Sharks.

Landon DuPont (2024)

The most recent exceptional status player, Landon DuPont became the third player to head south of the border as he joined the Everett Silvertips.

His first season in 2024-25 saw him record 60 points in 64 games where he claimed the CHL and WHL Rookie of the Year and was named to the CHL’s All-Rookie Team.

Internationally, he claimed a silver medal at the 2024 World U17 Hockey Challenge with Canada Red while at the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup he won bronze.

DuPont is not draft eligible until the 2027 NHL Draft where he is strongly considered the no. 1 prospect.

For more on CHL 50, click here