Counting Down the Top 10 Maple Leafs Prospects in 2024: No. 5 – Ben Danford

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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.

The defenseman signed his three-year entry-level contract with the Maple Leafs on Aug. 2. When asked about his game at development camp, Danford said he identifies as a two-way defender with a defense-first mindset. He’s a strong competitor who can play in all situations within a game.

“I feel like with my skating ability and hockey IQ, that’s something that I can definitely improve on. There’s great development staff and people that work here and they definitely know that they’re doing, some of the best in the world,” Danford said at development camp in July.

“With them behind me, I think I should be going in the right direction for sure.”

It will be a while before Danford makes footing at the professional level, like the AHL or NHL. He’ll likely need a couple more seasons in the OHL, where he can continue to build his offensive game before he takes the next step.

It’s either the OHL or NHL for the defenseman until he’s 20, which will be months before the 2026-27 season. I project Danford to be an important player for an NHL club, that can use him in a top-four role and on both the power play and penalty kill.

Until then, Danford will continue to develop on the ice and physically to prove to Toronto that they made the right pick, and to set himself up for success in the next step, which will likely be at Maple Leafs’ training camp in September.

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