Exciting News Drops Regarding Maple Leafs Prospect Ben Danford

While his 2024-25 season wasn't an extremely productive one in terms of points, Maple Leafs prospect Ben Danford had shown tremendous growth defensively, as a leader in his first season as captain of the Oshawa Generals, and even kicked things up a notch in the physicality department.

Danford's solid season, culminating in an OHL championship final appearance, has ultimately led to him being selected to attend Team Canada's World Junior Summer Showcase ahead of this year's World Junior Championship tournament.

As exciting as that news was, what was even more exciting was Danford's placement during the first on-ice session. Danford found himself playing on the 2nd pair, next to Anaheim Ducks prospect Tarin Smith.

Danford's placement in the lineup is a pretty strong indicator that Hockey Canada regards him highly, as they tend to do with players who show elite defensive acumen.

For Danford, making the Maple Leafs out of training camp this year appears unlikely, but a strong showing at the Summer Showcase could lead to a roster spot with Team Canada for the WJC tournament, which would be one heck of a developmental opportunity.

Danford was originally selected by the Maple Leafs with the 31st pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. His 5 goals and 68 PIMs were both career highs, and the Leafs' development staff and management believe that there is a lot of untapped offensive potential there as well.