Ben Danfordâ€s Stock Is Rising As Prospect Earns Recognition From Maple Leafs’ Veterans

Ben Danford is getting more and more confident as Toronto Maple Leafs training camp rolls on.

After the 19-year-old missed the entirety of last yearâ€s camp with a concussion, which he suffered during Torontoâ€s rookie camp, heâ€s entered this season with the belief that his game has taken a step forward.

Danford has played four games thus far, dating back to the Prospect Showdown in Montreal. And after every game, the coach (Marlies bench boss John Gruden or Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube) has spoken glowingly about his play.

“I thought Danford played a good, solid hockey game,†Berube said after Torontoâ€s opening pre-season win against the Senators on Sunday. “Itâ€s not a flashy game by any means, but itâ€s just, first-pass, defending well, plays a hard game. Pretty much mistake-free. It was impressive.â€

Danfordâ€s last appearance came in Torontoâ€s 3-2 overtime loss to the Senators on Tuesday night. The defenseman had 15:55 of ice time, the lowest among players on the teamâ€s back-end. However, he was playing with the Maple Leafs†regulars, including Morgan Rielly and Chris Tanev, whom Danford got to train with this summer.

“He just had a good attitude. He worked hard, and heâ€s a great skater. He was just doing everything that I was doing, and it was a good skate,†Rielly told The Hockey News of skating with Danford.

“I think itâ€s nice when you’ve got a guy like that thatâ€s motivated and has something on his mind that he wants to go out and prove. And I mean, he looks great, so I think heâ€s doing an outstanding job.â€

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Danford hasnâ€t been shy to voice that Rielly and Tanev are players he admires. “Iâ€ve looked up to (Tanev) for quite a few years now. I feel like thatâ€s someone I can really learn off of,” the young defenseman said.

To skate with those players during a summer training is one thing. To get into game action with them during the pre-season is another. Itâ€s a huge step for Danford, and he understands that.

“Last year, I didnâ€t get the full experience, so to get into a game with all those guys was really cool,†Danford said on Wednesday. “Last year, I didnâ€t really get to be around them that much, just having the injury. So to get to know them, play in a game with them, be on the ice with them in practice, theyâ€re all great guys.â€

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Thereâ€ll be plenty of memories from Danfordâ€s first game inside Scotiabank Arena. The fans and the atmosphere will surely be the number one thing. Heâ€ll also remember returning to the bench and hearing the positive feedback from the Maple Leafs†top defenders as well.

“All the guys I played with on the back-end (Rielly, Tanev, Brandon Carlo, Jake McCabe, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson), you come off for a shift and you had a good one, and theyâ€ll make sure to let you know,†Danford said.

“Theyâ€re really good at being positive. That definitely helped last night. They were really positive when I made a good pass. That definitely helped my confidence throughout the game. They did a great job, and I look up to them.â€

On Wednesday, Rielly reflected on when he was a young defenseman trying to make a name for himself in the league. He earned a full-time role with the Maple Leafs in the fall of 2013, following a season which was split between the WHLâ€s Moose Jaw Warriors and the AHLâ€s Toronto Marlies.

“Itâ€s a strange feeling. You come in here and youâ€re trying to make the team. Youâ€re essentially trying to take someoneâ€s job and trying to prove yourself and start your career,†the 31-year-old said.

“It can be a little bit strange. You donâ€t have a ton of communication with the coaching staff, just because thereâ€s lots happening. And so you just try to come in every day and work hard and perform and execute and do whatâ€s asked of you. And I think all our young guys are doing that, so itâ€s been good to see.â€

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As Rielly watches Danford, he sees a younger version of himself: a prospect with plenty of upside, whoâ€s just trying to navigate the early goings of his hockey career. And even when Rielly is preparing for a massive season ahead personally, he sees the importance of guiding Danford along.

“I think you just want to support your teammates. But also for a young guy, you want him to build confidence, and you also want to make him feel good about himself. Itâ€s not easy being in that position. Iâ€ve been there,†Rielly said.

“Iâ€ve had relationships with guys that are very supportive, and Iâ€ve had relationships with guys that are kind of s****y to you. You look back at those, and I donâ€t want to be one of those guys. I want to be someone that can support the young guys, and heâ€s doing a great job for us. I think all of us, between O (Ekman-Larsson), myself, Caber (McCabe) and Tany (Tanev), weâ€re just really impressed with him, so I think itâ€s worthwhile to tell him.â€

Danford added, “Iâ€m just trying every day here at training camp. Trying to put my best foot forward, not overdo things. Just take it day by day. And to hear that, itâ€s obviously great feedback, but I just got to keep rolling, just keep taking it day by day, keep getting better every day.â€

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Itâ€s not often you get a defensive prospect who makes this much of an impression at camp, especially at his first. He has another year of junior under his belt after being picked in the first round (31st overall) of the 2024 NHL Draft. But still, it usually takes a defender several years to develop into a meaningful player at the NHL level.

Danford might have another season with the OHLâ€s Oshawa Generals coming up, but he might be a step closer to the NHL than previously thought.

“Hockey IQ and feet,†said Berube, of why Danford has fit so seamlessly into the teamâ€s game. “I watch him play; he just knows what heâ€s doing. He knows where the puckâ€s going. Heâ€s simple. He doesnâ€t overcomplicate it.

“Iâ€m not saying he doesnâ€t ever, but for the most part, he sees the outlet, makes the play, and heâ€s a good defender. He plays with a little bite, too, like heâ€s a physical guy and plays with some edge. But I love his feet, and I love that his headâ€s up all the time seeing the play, and heâ€s a pretty smart player.â€

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