Prospect Info: [2024] 1st rd selection - #31 OA - RD, Ben Danford - Oshawa Generals, OHL (6′2″/191lb) --Signed to ELC

[Stephen]

I actually like Danford, his skating for his size is really interesting especially how much power he’s able to generate going backwards into erasing someone on the boards, but I still don’t get passing up on Solberg for him.

Flip Lily before the draft for a better pick than the one we got and bundle it with some other scraps to get into the early second, run Solberg-Danford for a decade.

Stian Solberg is a beastly D prospect, it would be a shame if we traded down just because he was LHD.

 

[arso40]

there are tons of dime a dozen replacement level players that can be plugged in with little difference.

I was a huge Lilly believer. But he got outplayed by Timmins. Everyday d isn’t the goal.

The only recent potential impact player under dubas etc is knies.

Hopefully we get one in Cowan.

When did he get outplayed by Timmins where did that happen ?

 

[Martin Skoula]

Stian Solberg is a beastly D prospect, it would be a shame if we traded down just because he was LHD.

Even as LHD it would fit our schedule well, imo he could be a better Benoit as soon as the actual Benoit’s cheap contract ends and you’re looking at 3+ a limited bottom pairing guy, then you have OELs slot to grow into once he breaks down.

 

[Legion34]

When did he get outplayed by Timmins where did that happen ?

When he was scratched in favour?
I was a huge Lilly supporter.

It’s just the way it was.

He was scratched multiple times in playoffs.

Not an impact player. Replacement for 3 million doesn’t work.

 

[Stephen]

Even as LHD it would fit our schedule well, imo he could be a better Benoit as soon as the actual Benoit’s cheap contract ends and you’re looking at 3+ a limited bottom pairing guy, then you have OELs slot to grow into once he breaks down.

Yep, I would have had no issues with Solberg.

 

[leafsfan2point0]

Even as LHD it would fit our schedule well, imo he could be a better Benoit as soon as the actual Benoit’s cheap contract ends and you’re looking at 3+ a limited bottom pairing guy, then you have OELs slot to grow into once he breaks down.

I was screaming at the tv to take him and knew once we traded down he was going with our pick. I hope I’m wrong, but I think we galaxy brained it.

 

[Knies iT]

Boxscore scouting a DFD playing on a team with pisspoor offence. Imagine.

Time and time again this sub has raved over flawed prospects that put up gaudy junior numbers, but have next to no projectable qualities at the pro level. I couldn't care less about Danford's PGP, as long as it meets the .5PPG mark by the end of season (at worst), which is usually a bare minimum requirement for quality shutdown D in the NHL. Ideally, you want some linear progression, but we're ~20GP in and he's coming off a concussion to start the year.

He'll be a better pro than he is a junior player IMO, similar to Minten in that sense. There's strong fundamentals to his game that will carry him farther than your typical waterbug, empty calorie junior player.

 

[Taylor Halls Teeth]

Yep, I would have had no issues with Solberg.

Its conspicuous that they clearly had some interest in Stolberg yet moved on to Danford. A club doesn't trade down a little unless there isn't any clear separation. I would have been much happier with Solberg, Greentree, or Beaudoin but I assumed they must have had some Cowen type insight. I dont expect anyone taken after #20 to show much before age 21 so I am not writing him off but even aside from the slow start his offense seems 3rd pair if he hits his best upside. Lots of time to grow though.

 

[DarkKnight]

there are tons of dime a dozen replacement level players that can be plugged in with little difference.

I was a huge Lilly believer. But he got outplayed by Timmins. Everyday d isn’t the goal.

The only recent potential impact player under dubas etc is knies.

Hopefully we get one in Cowan.

Lil is playing on one of the worst teams in the league, horrible defensively. Who cares how he's faring there, he's a dud. I said when we traded him he'd do fine there, doesn't mean we lost anything.

 

[Maplebeasts]

When he was scratched in favour?
I was a huge Lilly supporter.

It’s just the way it was.

He was scratched multiple times in playoffs.

Not an impact player. Replacement for 3 million doesn’t work.

He never got a chance with Berube and is playing very good for the Sharks. Both him and Sandin are better than Benoit and Timmins.

 

[Stephen]

Its conspicuous that they clearly had some interest in Stolberg yet moved on to Danford. A club doesn't trade down a little unless there isn't any clear separation. I would have been much happier with Solberg, Greentree, or Beaudoin but I assumed they must have had some Cowen type insight. I dont expect anyone taken after #20 to show much before age 21 so I am not writing him off but even aside from the slow start his offense seems 3rd pair if he hits his best upside. Lots of time to grow though.

Well, Wes Clark had the halo effect from drafting Easton Cowan at the time, while also surfing out the door to Pittsburgh, so who knows what factored into what, especially with his edgy sigma guy schtick.

Danford remains a good long term prospect at a position that doesn't have much hype attached to it, so I'm not exactly worried. If he grows up to be a Chris Tanev one day it's going to take years nd there won't be that many exciting milestones until he's up here, starting at an unglamorous position on the third pair.

But I don't think there was a lot of separation there. I think Stolberg, Greentree, EJ Emery and even that darkhorse forward project Dean Letourneau were also interesting options from where we were originally sitting.

I'm not a fan of trading down. If you need early mid round picks, go turn surplus roster players like Liljegren into futures. I definitely prefer to pick as early as possible whenever possible.

 

[Legion34]

He never got a chance with Berube and is playing very good for the Sharks. Both him and Sandin are better than Benoit and Timmins.

Weren’t better than Benoit last year (Timmins was a mess) or Timmins this year. Definitely not 3-4 times better.

They are ok 3rd pairing d. All of it is replaceable.

There were times we loved holl and mango and kappy too.

None of these players move the needle.

Knies is a difference maker. Hopefully Cowan is.

 

[Stephen]

He never got a chance with Berube and is playing very good for the Sharks. Both him and Sandin are better than Benoit and Timmins.

It's not that he didn't have a chance in Toronto. He was just incapable of playing a legitimate top 4 role on a team with aspirations to contend to this point in his career. In San Jose he can munch a lot of minutes under low pressure and not a lot of expectations of winning every night.

 

[DarkKnight]

He never got a chance with Berube and is playing very good for the Sharks. Both him and Sandin are better than Benoit and Timmins.

He had a million chances with Keefe and shit the bed every time. They gave up on him after last season, begrudging signed his arb deal, Berube was just the finale. Very good for a very bad team, whatever. There's a reason teams weren't lining up for the modest Lil return, he isn't much.

 

[Martin Skoula]

It's not that he didn't have a chance in Toronto. He was just incapable of playing a legitimate top 4 role on a team with aspirations to contend to this point in his career. In San Jose he can munch a lot of minutes under low pressure and not a lot of expectations of winning every night.

He did good playing top 4 minutes when the guys ahead of him got injured, he’d proceed to get injured himself and look like dogshit coming back every time though. I think Keefe completely mishandled him, I can’t think of a worse way to bring along a guy that has a solid toolbox but clearly has confidence issues. The best he looked was when Keefe had no choice but to play him in big minutes due to injuries, as soon as the leash got tight again he started mishandling pucks and making panic reads.

Not that he needed special treatment, just the same amount of leash Keefe and Dubas gave Sandin regardless of how many times he’d get walked.

 

[arso40]

When he was scratched in favour?
I was a huge Lilly supporter.

It’s just the way it was.

He was scratched multiple times in playoffs.

Not an impact player. Replacement for 3 million doesn’t work.

Understand your points but he wasn’t outplayed as you can see he’s producing more playing higher in the line up against stronger opponents on a worsted team for 1 and all the times he was in and out of the line up Timmins was a blacc ace facts are the facts lily is still the better player

 

[HockeyVirus]

I actually like Danford, his skating for his size is really interesting especially how much power he’s able to generate going backwards into erasing someone on the boards, but I still don’t get passing up on Solberg for him.

Flip Lily before the draft for a better pick than the one we got and bundle it with some other scraps to get into the early second, run Solberg-Danford for a decade.

They probably prefer the right shot over the left shot and how the two players use their size

 

[1specter]

He did good playing top 4 minutes when the guys ahead of him got injured, he’d proceed to get injured himself and look like dogshit coming back every time though. I think Keefe completely mishandled him, I can’t think of a worse way to bring along a guy that has a solid toolbox but clearly has confidence issues. The best he looked was when Keefe had no choice but to play him in big minutes due to injuries, as soon as the leash got tight again he started mishandling pucks and making panic reads.

Not that he needed special treatment, just the same amount of leash Keefe and Dubas gave Sandin regardless of how many times he’d get walked.

Keefe was never great at really furthering along the young guys on the cusp trying to establish themselves. Can't really think of anyone he brought along who wasn't already an established NHLer before he got there.

 

[Martin Skoula]

Keefe was never great at really furthering along the young guys on the cusp trying to establish themselves. Can't really think of anyone he brought along who wasn't already an established NHLer before he got there.

To be fair most of them had Keefe bringing them along for years on the Marlies by that point, he gets some credit for them stepping into being established NHLers. It’s just that once he got to the NHL and especially in the later years where he was on the hot seat he coached them scared except for Sandin for some reason.