The Oshawa Generals have traded away their captain, dealing him to the Brantford Bulldogs in a blockbuster deal in the OHL on Thursday. 

Toronto Maple Leafs star defense prospect Ben Danford is the core piece of the trade that went down between the two East Division teams, along with teammate Zackary Sandhu. The Generals, in return, receive three players and a whopping nine draft picks. 

Below are the full trade details.

Brantford Bulldogs receive:

RHD, Ben Danford - 8gp, 1g, 3a, -10
LHD, Zackary Sandhu - 11gp, 5a, -2

Oshawa Generals receive:

LW, Aiden O’Donnell - 14gp, 4g, 4a, +5
RHD, Lucas Moore - 14gp, 2g, 3a, +12
RHD, Luca Diplacido (2008) - 16gp, 2g, 8a, 63PIM (St. Andrew’s College)
2026 2nd round pick (OTT)
2027 2nd round pick (KGN)
2028 2nd round pick
2028 3rd round pick (SBY)
2029 3rd round pick (GUE)
2029 3rd round pick (BRAM)
2026 4th round pick (BFD)
2029 4th round pick (BFD)
2027 10th round pick (BAR)

Brantford is all in this year. GM Spencer Hyman brought in several new faces over the summer, and they have made an immediate impact on the team. Through 14 games, the Bulldogs have yet to drop a game in regulation, sporting an 11-0-3 record, with a +38 goal differential. 

With Danford in the mix now, the organization has four NHL-affiliated prospects on the blueline; Adam Jiricek, Edison Engle, and Owen Protz being the others. He also joins fellow Maple Leafs prospect Sam McCue, who was acquired by the team in the summer from the Flint Firebirds, and has eight goals in 13 games. 

There’s the tale ole saying, “Defense wins championships.” Hyman and company clearly have adopted that same philosophy, as the Bulldogs now have one of the toughest defense corps in the OHL. 

Oshawa had consecutive OHL Final appearances. However, with Beckett Sennecke up with the Anaheim Ducks, Calum Ritchie in the New York Islanders’ organization, and their star goaltender Jacob Oster aging out of the league, the Generals’ retooling has begun. 

The three second and third-round draft picks give them plenty of capital to work with in the short and long term. But former first-rounder from the 2024 OHL draft, Aiden O’Donnell, is the blue-chip prospect the Generals received in this deal. 

O’Donnell recently received a “B” grade from the NHL’s Central Scouting on their 2026 draft preliminary watch list. He played a full-time depth role for the Bulldogs last season, displaying signs of a potential top-six forward in this league. O’Donnell has had a solid start to the season with eight points in 14 games and will provide a much-needed offensive boost to Oshawa, which has struggled in the goal-scoring department (averaging just 2.6 goals per game). 

Seeing that the organization parted ways with two defensemen, taking Lucas Moore in the deal makes sure that the team won’t put some of their inexperienced defensemen in spots where they may struggle. Moore brings over 240 games of OHL experience and can assist in all facets of the game for his new coaching staff. 

Luca Diplacido is a 2008-born right-shot defenseman playing at St. Andrew’s College. He is committed to Cornell University and was drafted 116th overall in the sixth round of the 2024 draft. 

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