The Maple Leafs Have Something Unexpected in Ben Danford

We recently wrote about three young forwards who could eventually form the future core of the Toronto Maple Leafs: Easton Cowan, Gavin McKenna, and Matthew Knies. There is another young player who belongs in that conversation. Ben Danford. Danford arrived with a defence-first reputation and modest offensive numbers. What he showed during the Marlies’ playoff run suggests there could be considerably more to his game.

The Maple Leafs selected Danford 31st overall in the first round of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. At the time, the pick was considered something of a surprise. While Elite Prospects ranked Danford 30th, several prominent pre-draft rankings had him considerably lower. Bob McKenzie ranked him 54th, Jason Bukala 69th and Craig Button 78th. There were also questions about how much offensive upside Danford possessed. He was known primarily as a defence-first defenseman.

Until this past spring, that was pretty much how Danford was viewed too. Then he played for the Toronto Marlies in the AHL playoffs. What emerged wasn’t quite the player many expected.

The Numbers Don’t Jump Off the Page

Nothing about Danford’s final junior season screamed offensive defenceman. He scored three goals and added 17 assists for 20 points in 45 regular-season games with the Brantford Bulldogs. He then had one goal and two assists in 13 postseason games before the Bulldogs were eliminated. Immediately afterward, Danford joined a Marlies team that had just eliminated the Laval Rocket in five games in the North Division semifinals.

The expectation was that he would watch and learn. Instead, he played.

The First Surprise Was That He Played at All

Blake Smith had played more than 60 regular-season games for the Marlies and dressed in the deciding Game 5 victory over Laval. Yet when Toronto opened its next playoff series against the Cleveland Monsters, Smith was out. Danford was in. That caught the attention of observers following the Marlies.

Marlies head coach John Gruden was coaching a team trying to win a Calder Cup, yet he was willing to put a 19-year-old defenseman fresh out of junior hockey directly into his playoff lineup. Danford played sparingly at first, at least during the early part of the series.

But, more importantly, he didn’t look out of place. He didn’t stand out for any spectacular positive reasons. But he didn’t stand out for negative reasons either. There were no glaring mistakes. No obvious panic. No moments when it was necessary to wonder why a junior-aged defenseman was playing against professionals.

As the playoffs progressed, Danford became more noticeable. He appeared increasingly comfortable, and his confidence seemed to grow. That’s when another part of his game began to emerge.

The Play Doesn’t Die on His Stick

Danford’s defensive game came pretty much as advertised. His play with the puck didn’t. One thing that stood out was his ability to slow things down, particularly in his own end. He was quiet with the puck.

He doesn’t panic. He doesn’t automatically fire the puck around the boards or flip it into neutral ice just to get rid of it. He looks for the simple, safe play, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the easiest play.

Danford stepped around forecheckers to create passing lanes. He could make a sharp first pass to an open teammate. If space opened in front of him, he wasn’t afraid to take it himself, carrying the puck out of his own zone, through neutral ice and occasionally into the offensive zone.

By the end of the playoffs, Danford was playing alongside veteran Marshall Rifai. He no longer looked like a junior player getting a taste of professional hockey. He looked like he belonged there.

Danford Might Be Developing Backwards

Most highly regarded young hockey players enter professional hockey because of what they can do offensively. Then they have to learn how to defend against professionals. Danford might develop in the opposite direction.

The defensive foundation is already there. What’s intriguing is how much offence could eventually grow out of his ability to skate and move the puck as his experience and confidence increase. Unless Danford suddenly develops a shot that hasn’t been seen yet, he will likely never become a high-volume goal scorer.

But he doesn’t necessarily need to. His offensive upside could come from moving the puck, creating space and finding teammates. Rather than scoring the goal himself, Danford might be the player who finds the open stick that creates it. And that leads to an interesting Maple Leafs comparison.

Is There a Little Morgan Rielly in His Game?

That doesn’t mean Ben Danford is the next Morgan Rielly. Their games and development paths are different. But when Danford carries the puck and creates space with it, there are moments that are reminiscent of a younger Rielly. Not necessarily Rielly’s speed, but his confidence with the puck.

Get the puck. Survey the ice. Move around pressure. Find the open teammate. If the ice opens up, skate into it. Danford’s defensive foundation, meanwhile, is more of the type of game Toronto has relied on Chris Tanev to play. Put those two observations together, and you get an intriguing possibility.

What if Danford eventually develops into a legitimate shutdown defenseman who can also move the puck well enough to contribute offensively? He may never become another Morgan Rielly offensively. But based on his play with the Marlies, don’t be surprised if he develops into a defenseman capable of producing 30 or perhaps even 40 assists in his best seasons.

His junior scoring totals don’t suggest that kind of offensive production. But his play with the puck during the Calder Cup run suggests there might be more there.

Maybe the Maple Leafs Saw It Before Anyone Else

Perhaps Danford shouldn’t have been such a surprise. There were scouts before the 2024 draft who saw more in his offensive game than his numbers suggested. The Maple Leafs obviously saw enough in the complete player to use the 31st overall pick on him when several prominent rankings had him going considerably later.

Maybe they saw something others didn’t. Maybe they saw a defenseman whose defensive game was already advanced enough that his offensive game could develop around it. After Danford’s performance with the Marlies, it’s easy to at least understand why Toronto was willing to take that chance.

Danford Might Not Be a Marlie for Long

Long term, Danford has the potential to become Toronto’s top right-handed shutdown defenseman. Short term, expect him to become one of the Marlies’ most important defensemen this season. After that, things could get interesting.

NHL teams rarely make it through an entire season with a healthy blue line. If Toronto experiences the normal collection of injuries, Danford could find himself getting NHL games sooner than expected. And if his development continues the way it did during the Marlies’ playoff run, the Maple Leafs could face a different problem a year from now. They may have to find room for him.

McKenna, Cowan, and Knies might be the names attracting most of the attention when the Maple Leafs’ next young core is discussed. Danford isn’t the name that’s going to generate the same headlines. At least not yet.

But after watching him play against professionals, the evidence points to something very different from the conventional view going into the playoffs. The Maple Leafs’ other first-round pick might be much more than just a stay-at-home defenseman.

[Note: I want to thank long-time Maple Leafs fan Stan Smith for collaborating with me on this post. Stan’s Facebook profile can be found here.]