Rinkside Roundup: Sam Dickinson taking over in the OHL

The NHL season is officially ramping up, with the first week of action now in the rearview mirror. NHL rookies are starting to make their mark, while prospects outside the big leagues continue to shine. From a 2027 draft eligible to 20-year-old AHLers, a wide variety of young starlets have delivered noteworthy performances this past week.

Landon DuPont is taking the WHL by storm, erasing any questions there may have been about why he was granted the league’s first exceptional status since Connor Bedard. On the other side of the pond, Axel Sandin-Pellikka is producing a great rate of offence in big SHL minutes for Skellefteå while also showing off his progression in defensive habits.

Meanwhile, the NCAA season is now two weeks old, and 2025-eligible Cullen Potter is off to a flying start to his college career as Arizona State University’s No. 1 centre. With a prominent role, he has wasted no time building his case as a can’t-miss first-round talent come June.

Let’s break down six of the past week’s top-performing prospects.

Landon DuPont, RD, Everett Silvertips (2027 Draft)

Season Stats: 4G, 8A, 12PTS

Last Week Stats: 3G, 3A, 6PTS

15-year-old exceptional status defenceman Landon DuPont has already been among the WHL’s – if not the CHL’s – best blueliners in these first few weeks of his rookie season, flaunting remarkably few weaknesses while possessing a slew of separating tools and habits on both sides of the puck.

Every offensive puck touch is brimming with intent, creativity, and pace. DuPont is a fantastic activator and has been the source of much of Everett’s offence at 5-on-5 and the man advantage alike. He layers look-offs and gear shifts fluidly in his offensive actions, keeping his head up and excelling under physical pressure – he’s already showing elite levels of playmaking and on-puck manipulation. Despite being the CHL’s youngest player, DuPont is difficult to knock off the puck, aided by his stocky build.

While offensive skill and production have been the crux of the excitement surrounding this player early on in the 2024-25 season, DuPont has shown maturity well beyond his years on the other side of the puck. 

As Mitch Brown wrote in last week’s WHL Stock Watch: “What’s really special has been DuPont’s immediate impact defensively. His aggression, mobility, and sturdiness make him a weapon. Forget closing at the defensive blue line; he closes at the offensive blue line and consistently kills plays. He fearlessly engages much bigger, older opponents and usually comes out on top with his ability to get inside positioning.”

An elite playmaker and play-killer, all in one. This year should be one for the history books for Landon DuPont.

Sam Dickinson, LD, London Knights (San Jose Sharks)

Season Stats: 4G, 3A, 7PTS

Last Week Stats: 4G, 1A, 5PTS

The hat-trick hero in a 4-3 victory over the Barrie Colts, Sam Dickinson has been exploring his on-puck offensive game this season, excelling with the added space and time afforded by the man advantage, on which he has logged all four of his goals to start the year. The 2024 11th overall selection has shone more brightly offensively than defensively to start the year, continuing last year’s trend of making some questionable reads. Still, his development will benefit from this increased desire to have the puck on his stick and attack defences at speed head-on.

Despite his NHL-ready frame, the San Jose Sharks must be patient with London’s 6-foot-3 defenceman, but his potential on both sides of the puck – built on the foundation of elite tools – is immense. That’s been clear through four games this season. 

Axel Sandin-Pellikka, RD, Skellefteå AIK (Detroit Red Wings)

Season Stats: 3G, 5A, 8PTS

Last Week Stats: 1G, 2A, 3PTS

The 17th selection in the 2023 Draft, Axel Sandin-Pellikka has gotten off to a blazing hot start for Skellefteå, playing top-pairing minutes in the SHL and embracing the role of general on the powerplay. Few players outside the NHL are as adept at walking the offensive blueline and generating offence from the point as the 5-foot-11 Swede. Supported by elite mobility, he commands the puck on his stick and constantly changes the angle of attacks, exploiting gaps in coverage with pace. 

While Sandin-Pellikka's layering of pace into his offensive puck touches has played a key role in his near point-per-game start to the season, it's on the defensive side of the puck where his progression is making the biggest difference. He’s always been a stick-first defender, but this year, he’s adopted a stick-then-body approach when closing down attackers – especially against the rush. Using solid leverage mechanics to help him separate opponent from puck, Sandin-Pellikka’s defensive physical habits have taken an important step this year.

He brings offensive elements and powerplay quarterback ability from the blue line that the Red Wings have lacked in recent years, and this defensive and physical progression could see him in the NHL sooner than the two-year timeline I had in mind this offseason.

Filip Mešár, RW, Laval Rocket (Montréal Canadiens)

Season Stats: 1G, 3A, 4PTS

Last Week Stats: 1G, 3A, 4PTS

Under-producing in the OHL for the two years following his 26th-overall selection has made Filip Mešár an overlooked – and at times highly criticized – member of the Montréal Canadiens’ prospect cornucopia. His Kitchener Ranger career was not marked by the dynamic game-breaking offensive skill fans had hoped for, but it did show frequent signs of mature habits and high-end playmaking ideas. He’s a playmaker who thrives alongside direct, pacy, middle-driven forwards and thus shone brightly in his draft year playing professional hockey in Slovakia.

Much to Mešár’s relief, he is back in a professional environment with the Laval Rocket, playing with forwards who drive the net with their sticks available like he wants – and needs – them to. The 5-foot-10 right winger has the speed, motor, and pace – mental and physical – to thrive in the AHL environment and has scored a goal and three assists through a pair of games to start the season.

While the expectation in Laval isn’t to rely on Mešár as a key offensive driver, his start to the season may suggest that will change as the year unfolds. His top-six upside in Montréal’s system, specifically, remains in doubt, but he has the tools and habits necessary to grow into an equal parts energy and play-driving third-line and second powerplay winger within the next two or three years.

Lynden Lakovic, LW, Moose Jaw Warriors (2025 Draft)

Season Stats: 4G, 6A, 10PTS

Last Week Stats: 2G, 0A, 2PTS

The ninth-ranked prospect in our October Top 32, Lynden Lakovic is a skilled winger in a 6-foot-4 frame. His shot has been his most potent weapon throughout his WHL career, but his playmaking game has taken a leap since last season, transforming his offensive game. This past week, Moose Jaw’s revelation scored a pair of goals in a victory against DuPont’s Silvertips, including a far-side rocket following a retrieval at his defensive blueline.

Prior to this weekend’s games, Lakovic was highlighted by Mitch Brown in Friday’s Scout’s Notebook, including a great breakdown of the skating habits that have helped unlock his playmaking this season: 

“Lakovic is a fluid, powerful mover with the speed to beat defenders wide occasionally and, increasingly, manipulate their feet to get inside. He has all the dynamic rush patterns: crossovers, east-west puck movement, reloading routes to build speed before attacking the defence, and claiming the middle of the rink early.”

Since then, it has been equally apparent that his mobility and offensive routes support his goal-scoring game as well, allowing him to beat defenders wide and pick corners with his powerful and accurate release. Despite his big frame, physical details and puck battle proficiency have room for improvement. As the season progresses, look for Lakovic to leverage his size, reach, and speed to drive the middle lane more frequently. The foundation for a high-skill power forward style is certainly there.

Cullen Potter, C, Arizona State University (2025 Draft)

Season Stats: 2G, 2A, 4PTS

Last Week Stats: 1G, 1A, 2PTS

Cullen Potter could have been the USNTDP’s offensive driver this season – and they’re certainly missing him early in the USHL season. Instead, the 5-foot-9, 168-pound forward made the draft-year leap to the NCAA with Arizona State, where he’s gotten off to a flying start as the program’s first-line pivot. This weekend, he was a man on a mission against the University of Michigan, being the difference-maker in a stunning comeback victory in the second leg of a back-to-back. Down 3-1 with 1:30 to go in the third frame, Potter ran the 6-on-4 that tightened the score and potted the equalizer from the red line, embodying the notion of needing to be good to be lucky. But it was the shootout winner that showed off one of his marquee tools: high-end handling.

Potter has been a dynamic offensive driver through four college games and has shone for his impressive patience and composure under physical pressure. While his recognition of secondary threats defensively remains a weakness, he’s been consistently engaged and committed on that side of the puck, forcing multiple turnovers on the backcheck, and making use of his blazing speed in more ways than one.

This past week, Potter has continued to build his case to be selected on day one of the NHL Draft, but he will need to continue adapting and creating under pressure while rounding out his off-puck game to cement, or even raise, that stock. With abundant puck skills, speed, and dynamism, the American centre is one of the freshmen to watch this NCAA campaign.