Counting Down the Top 10 Maple Leafs Prospects in 2024: No. 5 – Ben Danford
Ben Danford ranks the highest among the Toronto Maple Leafs’ 2024 draft picks.
From Aug. 12 to Aug. 23, I will highlight the top 10 prospects within the Maple Leafs organization. The rankings will be based on:
- Highest ceiling at the NHL level, under 23 years old
- Past season of play on their perspective team
- Closest to seeing an NHL game with the Maple Leafs
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Ben Danford (Oshawa, OHL) 18, RD, 6-foot-1, 190 lbs
Similar to Easton Cowan in the year prior, Toronto went a bit off the board to select Ben Danford with their first-round (31st overall) pick at the 2024 NHL Draft.
Many draft experts expected the 18-year-old defenseman to be selected toward the latter half of the second round. But it was Toronto who stretched, and quite early on it appears to be the correct decision.
Danford wore an ‘A’ with the OHL’s Oshawa Generals and scored one goal and 32 assists in 64 games this past season. It’s not the best point total for a defenseman, but when you watch him play, you can notice that there’s more there.
What stands out most is his ability to find open space and create plays in the offensive end. Danford also doesn’t let plays die when the puck goes onto his stick. More often than not, he’s either finding a path to the net or searching for one of his teammates for a scoring chance.
“Very smooth on the ice. Very smart player. Defensively, he makes stops. His offensive numbers weren’t really that great this year, but I think they’re better than the stats show. And he’s a character kid,” Maple Leafs assistant GM Dr. Hayley Wickenheiser said on the opening day of development camp in July.
“He comes from a really nice family, good background. And he’s a good athlete. You watch him move off the ice and you can see the reason why he can translate that on the ice as well.”
Danford’s hockey IQ is also quite impressive. He’s a solid puck-mover at both ends of the rink and understands when it’s the perfect time to jump into a spot in the offensive zone for a scoring chance.
The Madoc, Ontario-born player can defend quite well off the rush. Danford can close off his opponents in the neutral zone, or at his blue line, before using the body and stealing the puck back. He’s strong and often uses physicality to his advantage.
