2026 Memorial Cup Final Player to Watch: Landon DuPont, Everett Silvertips

Kelowna, B.C.- Landon DuPont is a guy built for the spotlight.

The beams fuelled by his hockey peers, fans, pundits and NHL brass will burn brighter than ever as the freshly-turned 17-year-old hits the ice in the Memorial Cup Final with the Everett Silvertips on Sunday.

“No butterflies, just excitement,” DuPont said of the opportunity ahead. “It’s cool playing at such a stage like this in such a big tournament like this. I remember being five up until last year, just watching the Memorial Cup, wishing I could play there one day. Being here, it’s truly surreal.”

The WHL’s first exceptional-status defender will need to bring his ‘A’ game against the OHL Champion Kitchener Rangers, who are competing in their CHL-record seventh Memorial Cup title match.

The Blueshirts dished the Silvertips a 6-2 loss in round-robin play, with DuPont picking up a lone assist on a powerplay goal.

For a team that tallied 57 regular-season victories and went 16-1-1 in the WHL Playoffs, Everett is surprisingly comfortable with their underdog label.

“It’s cool being the underdog,” DuPont shrugged It’s cool proving people wrong, and I think we’ve been doing that all year.

We had a lot of ups and downs that game, and you know, in a Game 7 scenario like this, you’ve got to be able to play a full 60. If you have a bad play, things don’t go your way, you’ve just got to learn to flush it and just keep moving.”

The 5-foot-11, 183-pound right-shot blueliner was held out of Everett’s round-robin finale against Kelowna, a resounding 4-0 win, before returning to the lineup to score twice (including the game-winner) to eliminate the Chicoutimi Sagueneens 6-1 in the semifinal.

“We had a pretty good feeling,” Silvertips Head Coach Steve Hamilton said of DuPont’s semifinal outburst. “I think he was in a good space and wanted him an opportunity to get a skate in, and you know, he said he was good, so trust him and turn him loose.”

While DuPont and the Silvertips feel prepared to rise to the moment, it’s also hard to reckon with the end of an unforgettable season.

“(It) just feels like this team’s just gonna keep going and keep playing with each other forever,” DuPont mused. “It’s so fun playing with each other, just hanging out in the hotels and stuff. It’s.. It hasn’t really hit me, and I don’t think it’s hit anyone else. It’s gonna be a lot of emotions.”

Only four American CHL clubs- the Portland Winterhawks, Spokane Chiefs and Saginaw Spirit- have won the Memorial Cup.

In a few short hours, Everett will try to join their ranks and earn the hardest trophy to win in hockey.

The Battle for Memorial Cup supremacy begins at 4:00 p.m. PT on TSN in Canada and Victory+ and the NHL Network in the United States and around the globe.