The Toronto Maple Leafs made headlines on Friday morning when the club opted to sign their 2024 first-round pick (31st overall), Ben Danford, to a three-year entry-level contract.
Shortly after the announcement, the Madoc, Ontario native took to his personal Instagram account, ‘bendanford77,’ to share his excitement with Leafs Nation. He expressed his honor to represent the organization in the years to come.
“I am honored to sign my first NHL contract with the @MapleLeafs,” Danford wrote. “Thank you to everyone who helped me along the way.”
The 18-year-old right-handed defenseman grew up a fan of the organization, revealing that Phil Kessel was the name on the back of his first Maple Leafs jersey – making this moment a dream come true.
After being drafted, Danford attended the Leafs’ development camp in July, where he worked alongside the Stanley Cup champion and former Leafs defenseman Jake Muzzin. Reflecting on the experience, Danford said: “It went well and it hasn’t sunk in yet, to be honest.”
Playing for the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League in the 2023-24 campaign, the second-year defenseman recorded a goal and a career-high 32 assists in 64 regular season games. He had four goals and six assists in 21 playoff games.
At 6-foot-2, Danford is viewed as a defenseman with strong shot-blocking and puck-moving skills. Although he is recognized for his defensive style, he considers himself a 200-foot player with offensive potential.
Danford will likely return to the OHL for his third season with the Generals, but is expected to participate in Leafs training camp. Additionally, he is expected to join Montreal’s debut showcase at the Bell Centre, scheduled for the weekend of September 15-16.
After his first development camp in July, Danford said, “I’m really looking forward to my first training camp. You want to stick around as much as you can, take it all in, and be around these professionals as much as you can because they’re there for a reason. Feed on them and learn from them. I think this will be very beneficial for me.”
Related: Maple Leafs Rookie Challenge and Development Camp Dates Released
Danford finished the 2023-24 season with a plus-27 rating and will continue to grow as one of the Leafs’ top defensive prospects alongside Cade Webber, Noah Chadwick, Mikko Kokkonen and Topi Niemela. With plenty of time to develop, he showed significant growth last season.
While we don’t know exactly when that will happen, one thing is certain: Danford has a passion for wearing the blue and white.
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