It’s official. Aaron Ekblad is exceptional.

The Ontario Hockey Federation announced that the 15-year-old defenseman has been granted ‘exceptional player’ status and will be eligible for the Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection in May. The Belle River, ON. native is a strong candidate to be the top pick. The Barrie Colts hold the first overall selection.

“The process established for the exceptional player is an extensive evaluation of the player in all aspects of life,” OHF Executive Director Phillip McKee said in a release.  “Aaron should be very proud, just as the OHF is of him, for achieving the exceptional player status.”

Ekblad is the first player since John Tavares in 2005 to be granted ‘exceptional player’ status. He went on to be drafted first overall that year and recorded 433 points in 247 career OHL games. Tavares was also the top pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

This season, Ekblad recorded 34 points in 30 games with the Sun County Panthers Minor Midget AAA club and added 21 points in 18 playoff games.

The six-foot-three, 200-pound blueliner is eligible for the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.

Aaron Vickers is the managing editor of Future Considerations and can be found on Twitter. For all the latest Future Considerations news and posts, follow FC’s Official Twitter Feed, on YouTube and on Facebook!