The Leafs drafted Danford with the 31st pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, A breakdown presented by Upper Deck.
The Leafs drafted Danford with the 31st pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, A breakdown presented by Upper Deck.
Entering the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, the Toronto Maple Leafs had multiple options, holding the rights to the 23rd overall pick.
As the draft board began to fill up and selections were made, the Leafs opted to trade their 23rd overall selection to the Anaheim Ducks, accumulating an additional pick while maintaining a first-round presence. This transaction positioned them at the 31st pick, where they selected defenseman Ben Danford from the Ontario Hockey League’s Oshawa Generals.
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It became clear that the club was confident Danford would still be available at the 31st pick, allowing them to gain draft capital while still making a first-round selection.
General manager Brad Treliving explained his thought process when he told Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman post-draft, "We think he's a real intelligent player, a real competitive guy, right-shot defenseman. He's a guy that our staff was really focused in on. That's why we traded down,” said Treliving.
"We thought we could slide down and hopefully the availability to get him later, as we did. But, you know, lots of intangibles, high character kid, moves really well, he's just sort of scratching the surface for what he could be. High hockey intelligence, real competitive kid, right-shot defenseman, they are hard to find."
Now-former Maple Leafs director of amateur scouting Wes Clark echoed Treliving’s sentiments when he commented on the newest first-round pick in Toronto: “Ben was pretty much the target all the way along. So, lucky we got him."
Standing at 6-foot-1, the Madoc, Ontario native excels in his defensive game, displaying high hockey IQ, steadiness, physicality, mobility, great skating abilities, and elite shot-blocking. In 64 regular season games in 2023-24, Danford had 33 points (1G, 32A), finding his offensive potential in the latter half of the season, scoring 10 points (4G, 6A) in 21 playoff games. His 200-foot game has continued to progress, tallying 12 more points compared to the 2022-23 season, though it remains an area for further development while maintaining a “defense first” mindset.
In the OHL coaches poll, Danford was highly praised for his defensive game and shot-blocking abilities. In the results, he was voted the best defensive defenceman, the second-best shot blocker, and the third hardest worker in the Eastern Conference.
Clark attributed the quote, “He's extremely physical. Big body. I think we know what Tre(living) likes. So, try to execute,” to Nathan Mayes, the club’s final pick of the draft (225th overall), but it’s clear the same characteristics were desired in Danford.
Danford was one of the 46 players and 15 defensemen to participate in this year’s development camp which ran from July 3-7.
Present for the annual camp was former Leafs defenseman Jake Muzzin, who never officially retired when he was named a pro scout with the club in 2023. The former Stanley Cup champion left his mark on Danford among other promising prospects in the Leafs’ system throughout the five-day event, with Danford saying, “I’ve been a Leafs fan my whole life and I watched him and I definitely looked up to him. To get to know him and get to learn from him It’s really special."
As mentioned, Danford grew up as a lifelong Maple Leafs fan given his roots and home base near the Toronto area. Under the guidance of Muzzin, the first-round pick was hoping to grow and learn from the seasoned veteran in pursuit of a successful NHL career.
Instead of attending the annual Traverse City event that the Leafs have competed in since 2019, the organization will be partaking in a rookie showcase in Montreal at the Bell Centre. The Leafs’ top prospects are set to face off against the most promising players from the Montreal Canadiens’ system, scheduled for the weekend of September 15-16 where two games will feature the best young talent from both franchises.
The Maple Leafs are expected to announce participants for the tournament at a later date with Danford expected to be among the candidates to attend.
After a breakout sophomore year, Danford joins Cade Webber, Noah Chadwick, Mikko Kokkonen, and Topi Niemela among the notable defensive prospects in the Leafs’ system. At 18 years of age, he is already viewed as reliable in the defensive zone in shutting down the opposition’s attack, finishing the 2023-24 season with a plus-27 rating.
Over the more recent years, the club’s defensive pool has been fairly bleak, with Danford being just the third defenseman selected with the Leafs’ top pick in their last 12 drafts – prioritization lay in the offense.
However, the organization is turning a new page. For Danford, though he may not be ready for the big stage yet, there is still plenty of time and room to grow. Under his expected return to the OHL with the Generals next fall, he can continue to thrive in his defensive strategy while ironing out his offensive game with the Eastern Conference’s top-seeded team in Oshawa.
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