The Leafs selected Danford with the 31st pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft.
Although the Toronto Maple Leafs held the 23rd overall pick heading into the first night of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, the club opted to trade down to the 31st pick, acquiring an additional second-round pick in the process. The Leafs aimed to add draft capital while remaining confident they could still select their top choice.
Slotted at the 31st spot, the Leafs selected defenseman Ben Danford from the Ontario Hockey League’s Oshawa Generals – who the club claimed was their target all along.
Nearly a month has passed since the draft concluded, and Danford has had the chance to reflect on the moment he heard his name called by the team he grew up cheering for. On Tuesday, the 18-year-old was interviewed by Nick Alberga and Jay Rosehill of Leafs Morning Take to discuss what it means to be a member of the Maple Leafs organization.
Danford relived the moment he heard his name called under the bright lights in Vegas.
“Honestly, the second he (Wes Clark) called my name, I kind of blacked out a little bit. I think my whole family was in a little bit of a shock,” Danford explained. “We’re from a small town so getting drafted on the big stage, especially in the first round, was pretty surreal for my whole family. I mean yeah, I kind of blacked out going down the stairs; my legs felt like Jell-O. It was kind of hard getting around there but no, it was good.”
Following the NHL combine and draft, Danford participated in the team’s development camp in early July, where Leafs nation had their first glimpse of the Madoc, Ontario native’s game. Danford remarked, “Everything went well and it hasn’t really sunk in yet, to be honest. So it’s been crazy.”
After an outstanding season that saw him flourish in the postseason, Danford notes that the Leafs had him on their radar for quite some time. The sophomore defenseman in the OHL had a goal and a career-high 32 assists in 64 regular season games before adding four goals and six assists in 21 playoff appearances.
“They (the Leafs) mentioned they were quite interested in me. I talked to them a lot, especially after the season ended,” Danford admitted. “At the combine and other places as well. They seemed very interested. Obviously, I’ve been a Leafs fan my whole life and found it something that was really cool to go through. I didn’t want to get my hopes up too high, but it worked out really well.”
Given his 18-year-old status, Danford grew up in the Phil Kessel/Joffrey Lupul era and mentioned that Kessel was his first-ever Maple Leafs jersey. For someone from a small town, with a population of 2,078, it’s safe to say the entire experience was not only surreal but special to live through.
It’s clear why the Leafs were interested. A big, right-handed defensive defenseman, a department the club has been lacking in recent years. However, Danford mentions there is more to his game he has yet to unlock, highlighting that he is a ‘gamer’.
“I’m a 200-foot player. I’m someone who is a defense-first type of guy, I feel like I have a lot of offensive upside,” said Danford. “With my skating ability and hockey IQ, I feel like I have some levels to unlock there. I like to think of myself as a gamer and do anything you need for the team to win.”
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.
When considering his playstyle at 6-foot-1 – a shutdown, shot-blocking, and puck-moving defenseman, he made his NHL comparison to one Leafs blueliner throughout the entire draft process. Sound familiar?
Chris Tanev.
Despite his interest in feeding off the Leafs’ d-core and being a sponge when training camp rolls around, Tanev is a player that he’s most looking forward to emulating.
“I feel like the backend they have, they have some great defenders. I’d like to feed off a lot of them. They’re there for a reason. One guy that I like to compare myself to during the whole draft process was Tanev actually,” Danford stated.
“He’s a guy that can skate well, break out the puck, block a lot of shots, and play that style of game. It should be cool to meet a guy that you kind of compare yourself to, so I’m looking forward to that for sure.”
And that will be next on the list for Danford, his first NHL training camp. In addition to camp, Danford is expected to be among the names announced to be participating in the rookie showcase in Montreal at the Bell Centre, scheduled for the weekend of September 15-16.
His goal is to stick around for as long as possible before looking to build off his season with the Generals next fall. The club made it to the OHL Championship in 2023-24 before falling to the London Knights.
“I’m really looking forward to my first training camp. You want to stay around for as long as you can, take it all in, and be around those pros for as long as you can because they’re there for a reason. Feed off them and learn from them. I think that will be really beneficial for me,” Danford claims.
“Going into the season, I think we’re going to have a really strong team in Oshawa, so our whole team is pretty excited. We had a pretty good run last year, and I think we’re hungry for more this year.”
He is already surfacing into a leader, perhaps learning from Leafs captain and former Generals forward, John Tavares, who texted Danford post-draft.
“When people say team success leads to individual success, I think that is really true. I’m just looking forward to a great year with my team and we obviously want to win it all,” Danford said.
“That connection of both playing for Oshawa, the best organization in junior hockey. It’s pretty cool to get a text from a guy like that (Tavares), such a high-character guy and such a great player, it meant a lot.”
Danford finished the 2023-24 season with a plus-27 rating and will continue to climb the ladder as one of the Leafs’ top defensive prospects alongside Cade Webber, Noah Chadwick, Mikko Kokkonen, and Topi Niemela.
As Danford said himself, there is plenty of time and room to grow with no shortage of resources at his disposal. Under his expected return to the OHL with the Generals next fall, he can be expected to take another step under the Eastern Conference’s top-seeded team in Oshawa.
