The immediate aftermath of getting selected by his boyhood team was all a blur to defenceman Ben Danford.
That is what he said while being a guest on Leafs Morning Take with Nick Aleberga and Jay Rosehill when asked how it felt to be drafted by the Leafs in Las Vegas last month. Danford was grateful to experience that life-changing moment with his loved ones and thought it was a surreal experience to hear Wes Clark call his name.
“Honestly, the second he called my name, I kind of blacked out a little bit,” he said. “I think my whole family was kind of in a little bit of a shock. We’re from a small town, so to get drafted on the big stage and especially in the first round, it’s pretty surreal for my whole family.”
“I kind of blacked out going down the stairs. My legs felt maybe a little like jello. It’s kind of hard to get down there, but no, it’s good.”
There are few moments in an NHL player’s career more memorable than being drafted into the league, especially when it’s in the first round when the majority of the hockey world is watching. Players young and old know that it is quite an exhilarating moment to know that a team opted to use one of their precious top selections on them because it is an honour that only 32 players a year can say they have.
Getting drafted certainly does not fully guarantee a long and successful career in the NHL, but it is an important step for every player to take and now the real work begins. In terms of Danford, he revealed that he and the Leafs spoke numerous times in the lead-up to the draft and viewed him in high regard.
“They mentioned that they were quite interested in me. I talked to them a lot, especially after the season ended, combine and other places as well,” he said. “I’ve been a Leafs fan my whole life and thought it was really cool to go through and stuff. I didn’t want to get my hopes up too high, but it worked out really well.”
Getting to live out your dreams of being an NHL player is one thing, but to be able to do so with the team you grew up cheering for is something else entirely. The prospect of that potentially becoming a reality someday is surely going to motivate Danford even more than before to continue to make strides in his development and put himself in a position to make his dreams come true.
There is still a ways to go before that becomes a realistic possibility, but so far he has been making a great first impression in the eyes of the Leafs’ management after performing well at development camp. Danford excels in his own end as he brings a ton of energy and is willing to do the dirty work, while also seeing some growth in his offensive game. He wants to model his game after Chirs Tanev which, considering the excitement surrounding his arrival this summer, is a great goal to aspire to.
Either way, Danford is going to be an exciting prospect to keep track of and could become a critical member of the backend if all goes well with his development. Knowing how excited he is to be taken by his boyhood team will only win him over to more fans.
You can listen to the full interview with Danford here:
