Danford impressed many at Maple Leafs training camp and looks to make a strong impression at Canada's training camp.
Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Ben Danford is headed to the World Junior Championships with Team Canada.
The 19-year-old prospect is one of nine defenders named to Canada's roster ahead of training camp, beginning on Dec. 12 at the Gale Centre in Niagara Falls, Ontario. The camp will run for 10 days before the team travels to the tournament in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Danford is in his fourth season in the OHL. The defenseman was involved in an early-season trade from the Oshawa Generals to the Brantford Bulldogs. In eight games as captain with the Generals, Danford scored one goal and recorded four points.
In 14 games with the Bulldogs, Danford has 11 assists. He'll likely play the shutdown defender role with Canada, given that's what he's best at: smothering plays before his opposition can get to the net.
Danford, selected by the Maple Leafs in the first round (31st overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft, attended Canada's World Junior Summer Showcase in August and discussed how special it was to be at the camp.
“It was super surreal,” he told TSN’s Mark Masters. “As a kid, you dream of playing on the World Junior team, and getting invited to this showcase, it’s one more step closer to making the team, so it’s pretty surreal.”
The last Maple Leafs prospect to play at the World Juniors was 2023 first-round (28th overall) pick Easton Cowan. The 20-year-old scored five points (two goals and three assists) in 10 games at the tournament, but Canada was eliminated in the quarter-finals by Czechia in back-to-back years.
This will be Danford's first tournament with Canada since capturing gold at the 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup (Under-18).
Canada's World Junior Championship begins on Boxing Day with a game against Czechia at 8:30 p.m. ET. They'll then play Latvia on Dec. 27, Denmark on Dec. 29, and Finland on Dec. 31, before the quarterfinals begin.
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