Going into the 2026-27 season as the best defenseman prospect in the Toronto Maple Leafs' pipeline and expecting to make the opening-night lineup in the NHL, Ben Danford ranks No. 3 in this prospect ranking.
Kicking off the top three in this Toronto Maple Leafs prospect ranking is Ben Danford.
The players in this ranking do not have extensive NHL experience and are all under 23. Therefore, players such as William Villeneuve, Artur Akhtyamov and Easton Cowan, among others, won't feature in this ranking for either or both of those particular reasons.
In terms of where these players fall in the rankings, it is a mix of their ceiling and potential, as well as how they've performed in the past year with their respective clubs.
Danford was a first-round pick by the Maple Leafs, selected 31st overall in the 2024 NHL draft. In a prospect pool that hasn't been the strongest in recent years, Danford has been a star youngster in Toronto's system.
The 6-foot-2 shutdown defenseman has played four seasons in the OHL, completing his most recent campaign in 2025-26 with the Brantford Bulldogs.
His time this past season was split between the Bulldogs and Oshawa Generals. Danford was a member of the Generals for parts of four years and was the team's captain for the last two before getting traded to the Bulldogs in late October.
With Brantford, he was assigned the alternate captain and contributed two goals and 16 points in 37 regular-season games. Before his move from Oshawa, he provided one goal and four points in eight games for the Generals.
Looking back at Danford's OHL career, he's been a key piece of any blueline he's been a part of. His post-season experience can be a testament to that, as he never missed the playoffs in his four years in the Ontario League.
In this past year, the Bulldogs advanced through the first two rounds with ease, sweeping the Sudbury Wolves and North Bay Battalion. Brantford was just one game away from reaching the final, losing to the Barrie Colts in seven games in a conference final clash. Danford had one goal and three points in those playoffs.
Danford's previous two playoff campaigns were even longer and filled with heartbreak. In 2024-25, Oshawa advanced to the final but was eliminated by the eventual Memorial Cup winners, the London Knights. The defenseman notched two goals and five points in those 21 post-season contests.
The year before that wasn't much different for Danford and the Generals in the playoffs. Though he scored four goals and 10 points in the same 21-game span, Oshawa was stopped by the Knights in that post-season, too. For two straight years, Danford had to see fellow Maple Leafs prospect Cowan lift the J. Ross Robertson Cup.
His stint with Team Canada at the 2026 World Junior Championship can be added to the list of important fixtures that he's experienced. He played in all seven of Canada's games at the tournament. He recorded one assist at the competition and logged 17:42 of ice time in Canada's Bronze medal victory over Finland.
Though Danford had seen a fair share of heartbreaking losses in his short Jr. career, playing as many meaningful games as he did could only help his development.
After all, he was able to finally get his hands on a trophy with the AHL's Toronto Marlies in the 2026 Calder Cup playoffs, with Cowan on his team this time.
In that American League post-season, Danford played in 16 outings, registering a goal and three points in a limited but effective role.
The 20-year-old defenseman will be getting the full ride with the Marlies for 2026-27, marking his AHL rookie season. He'll be competing for big minutes on the team this coming year, along with Noah Chadwick, Villeneuve, Marshall Rifai, and others.
The Hockey News' latest issue predicted Danford to arrive in the NHL in 2027-28. For that, the Maple Leafs' 2024 first-rounder will need to have a strong season with the Marlies. After all, Danford does expect to see major progression in his game going into training camp, and has his radar set on making the Leafs' opening night lineup.
Nonetheless, Danford is the best defenseman prospect in Toronto's pipeline, and his first full season of professional hockey will be crucial.
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