Seven players with WHL experience crack TSN’s September list for 2027 NHL Draft
Calgary, Alta. — 2026 WHL Champion Landon DuPont has topped TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button’s September rankings as 2027 NHL Draft chatter starts kicking up.
DuPont, the WHL’s first exceptional-status defenceman, is one of seven skaters with Western Hockey League experience to crack Button’s top 32.
The smooth-skating defender posted 23 points (5G-18A) and a +20 rating in 18 playoff matches to help Everett hoist the Ed Chynoweth Cup for the first time in franchise history in May of 2026.
Since being selected first overall in the 2024 WHL Prospects Draft, he’s amassed 133 points (35G-98A) in 127 regular-season matches.
"We want to be the team that starts the year off on a good note."
Landon DuPont and @HockeyCanada have gold on the mind as they suit up for the 2026 #HlinkaGretzkyCup Final against the United States tonight! pic.twitter.com/D57F4HxBFX
— Western Hockey League (@TheWHL) August 8, 2026
He’s snagged WHL and CHL Rookie of the Year honours, earned a spot on the 2025-26 WHL Western Conference First All-Star Team, and captained Canada to a gold medal at the 2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup — along with another three WHLers on this list: Brock England (Seattle Thunderbirds / Red Deer, Alta.), Brock Cripps (Prince Albert Raiders / Victoria, B.C.) and Kayden Stroeder (Edmonton Oilers / Lanigan, Sask.).
Rounding out the WHL contingent on TSN’s list is Noah Davidson (Medicine Hat Tigers / Irvine, Calif.), Jaxon Jacobson (Brandon Wheat Kings, Brandon, Man.), and Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll (Medicine Hat Tigers / Salt Lake City, Utah).
England has recently been named to Team CHL ahead of the 2026 CHL USA Prospects Challenge, which runs from December 1 and 2 in Chicoutimi and Quebec City, Que.
The T-Birds star’s first full WHL season saw him log 21 goals to lead all 2009-born WHL skaters.
Cripps, who battled DuPont and the Silvertips in the 2026 WHL Championship Series, was the youngest finalist for WHL Rookie of the Year in 2025-26.
The 5-foot-11 defenceman registered 37 points (6G-31A) in 62 regular-season games before erupting for 21 points (4G-17A) in the postseason.
He kicked off his draft season with a pair of assists in Prince Albert’s season-opening matches against the Regina Pats and Swift Current Broncos.
Swashbuckling forward Stroeder posted 32 points (13G-19A) in his rookie campaign in Alberta’s capital, but did his best work in the second half of the season.
The Lanigan, Sask. product scored seven of his 13 goals (including a hat trick) and 22 of his 32 points from January 1 on.
Davidson, a 6-foot-3, 216-pound centreman, was hot out of the gate in his first WHL campaign with 30 goals and 22 assists for 52 points in 67 outings with the Tigers.
He finished third on the high-scoring squad in goals while ranking second in faceoff wins with 342 (54.1%), along with his close friend prior to his WHL days in Gordon-Carroll.
Gordon-Carroll battled the injury bug in his sophomore season, but still managed 37 points (12G-25A) in 41 outings, in addition to 12 playoff points (5G-7A) to help the Tabbies reach the 2026 WHL Eastern Conference Championship.
The Utahn was a member of Medicine Hat’s 2025 WHL Championship-winning side and helped the United States clinch Hlinka Gretzky Cup gold in 2025.
Rounding out the list is freshly minted Brandon Wheat Kings captain Jaxon Jacobson, a hometown kid with a knack for lighting the lamp.
Jacobson put up 85 points (25G-60) in 63 games in his second full campaign to sit second on Brandon in points and third in goals.
While the 2026-27 season is in its early days, scouts have had plenty of opportunities to form early opinions on these players.
NHL Central Scouting generally announces its preliminary player list, where players are assigned a letter grade, in mid-to-late October.
Fans can watch the NHL’s stars of tomorrow for free on the WHL’s YouTube channel.
| Rank | Last Name | First Name | Most Recent WHL Club | Hometown | Height | Weight | Position |
| 1 | DuPont | Landon | Everett Silvertips | Calgary, Alta. | 5’11 | 192 | D |
| 6 | England | Brock | Seattle Thunderbirds | Red Deer, Alta. | 5’11 | 175 | F |
| 7 | Cripps | Brock | Prince Albert Raiders | Victoria, B.C. | 5’11 | 166 | D |
| 14 | Stroeder | Kayden | Edmonton Oil Kings | Lanigan, Sask. | 6’0 | 165 | F |
| 15 | Davidson | Noah | Medicine Hat Tigers | Irvine, Calif. | 6’2 | 215 | F |
| 25 | Jacobson | Jaxon | Brandon Wheat Kings | Brandon, Man. | 5’10 | 181 | F |
| 28 | Gordon-Carroll | Shaeffer | Medicine Hat Tigers | Salt Lake City, Utah | 6’0 | 190 | F |
