While the DU Pioneers and Michigan clash under the bright lights of the Frozen Four, an even more intense battle between these two giants of college hockey looms in the shadows for the best defensive prospect since Cale Makar.

Landon DuPont is his name.

Write it down. And underline DuPont’s name in crimson and gold, because if Pioneers coach David Carle can lure this teenage phenom to Denver, this young defenseman could well qualify as the most high-profile signing in a storied hockey program’s history.

At age 16, DuPont is so dominant on the ice that he’s already widely projected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2027 NHL entry draft.

With puck-handling and scoring skills ranked off the charts, DuPont is raved about by scouts with the same ga-ga enthusiasm once given to generational talents such as Drew Doughty and Brian Leetch.

But before DuPont takes his talents to the NHL, there’s growing speculation he will refine his game and take time to mature with a top college program.

That’s where the battle looms between the Pioneers and Wolverines, who meet Thursday in the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament.

No hockey program in history can match the 10 national championships earned by Denver, including those won by Carle in 2022 and 2024.

Michigan, however, ranks second at nine nattys. With the nearly unlimited economic power of a Big Ten school, these Wolverines are skating hard to end a trophy drought that dates all the way back to 1998.

In the era of name, image and likeness, when Penn State lured top winger Gavin McKenna for a jaw-dropping deal reportedly in the filthy-rich neighborhood of $700,000 per season, can the Pioneers possibly hope to compete with the financial muscle of Michigan?

When I asked Carle earlier this week to compare Denver and Michigan, he struggled to suppress a smirk while giving me a skeptical side eye.

“Do we have similarities? As hockey teams? Sure. In some respects,” Carle told me, with wit as dry as an $18 martini.

“But as institutions? I struggle to find any (similarities) in what we do and how we do it.”

Citing everything from the championship success enjoyed by the Wolverines in men’s basketball to financial support from alums across the country, Carle respectfully marvels at what he called “the monstrosity that is the University of Michigan.”

The Pioneers, however, don’t back down against anybody on the ice or the recruiting trail.

“That’s what makes sports and certainly college hockey very unique,” Carle said. “You can have quite a vast array of schools that compete against each other. Some of those bigger factors that matter in other spaces don’t matter as much in hockey.”

Could David possibly beat Goliath for the services of DuPont?

In the past, Carle noted, the Pioneers and Wolverines have largely recruited from different talent pools, divided by the Mississippi River in the United States, while DU has focused on prospects from western Canada since the days of Murray Armstrong, and Michigan has staked its turf north of the border in the province of Ontario.

So, how often do the Pioneers and Wolverines compete head-to-head for a recruit?

“Here and there,” Carle said. “Probably more so in the current landscape. … We’re running into (the Wolverines) a little bit right now. But not a ton. That could grow and expand with the rule changes.”

Carle is forbidden from mentioning the name of DuPont by archaic NCAA regulations that have ceased to prevent unprecedented upheaval in the college sports landscape.

But make no mistake.

For hockey programs as evenly matched as the Pioneers and Wolverines, DuPont could make the difference between hoisting a trophy or going home in defeat.

Let’s get down to the real nitty-gritty of money. With a court settlement last year that permits universities to share athletic department revenues directly with student-athletes, Carle is on record as saying he won’t allow money for a highly paid recruit to ruin his locker room chemistry, but also doesn’t want a top prospect to turn down the Pioneers because of money.

While it’s hard to see how Denver could win a bidding war with Michigan for the services of any player, maybe there’s a secret sauce that could play in the Pioneers’ favor, when and if DuPont begins to weigh the pros and cons of the two programs.

The brilliant young defenseman’s family ties are to Calgary. The Pioneers have 10 players from western Canada on their roster. DuPont has scored 18 goals and added 55 assists this season while playing in the Western Hockey League for the Silvertips in Everett, Wash.

“If I was from western Canada, I would come to Denver. If I was from western North America, I would come to Denver,” said Carle, without identifying any specific prospect.

“If you’re from western North America, you should probably heavily consider coming to Denver over Michigan.”

During a recent interview on the Draft Pro Hockey Show, DuPont was asked by host Anthony Donati which current NHL defensemen he admires the most.

“Cale Makar, Quinn Hughes,” DuPont said, “and a new young stud defenseman Zeev Buium, I like him a lot.”

Buium is a defenseman with offensive skills that obviously resonate with DuPont.

Buium, a native of San Diego, has roots in western North America.

Before entering the NHL, Buium played two seasons for the Pioneers, winning a national championship ring with the Pioneers in 2024.

Buium would not be a bad role model for DuPont to follow to NHL stardom.