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

[darrylsittler27]

Trade chip.

Hardly. One he injured. Two he is not that highly ranked even in our weak pool.

 

[REALTALK81]

Still pissed with this pick instead of getting Emery earlier.

 

[horner]

Still pissed with this pick instead of getting Emery earlier.

Have you actually watched him play this season

 

[4thline]

Hardly. One he injured.

Someone should probably tell him that - he played against Kitchener on the 11th notching his 3rd assist in 3 games.

Garbage Clickbait articles citing in game tweets do not good sources make- he returned to the game in question, days before that trash was written lol

 

[BurnsWhenIPee]

Have you actually watched him play this season

Most fans just see the stats and want more from a high pick. If he can turn into a Pesce style player in the NHL he's a great pick. That's probably best case scenario.

 

[Leaf Fans]

Most fans just see the stats and want more from a high pick. If he can turn into a Pesce style player in the NHL he's a great pick. That's probably best case scenario.

I seem has Chris Phillips type and I think 77 has offence there somewhere.

 

[WTFMAN99]

Most fans just see the stats and want more from a high pick. If he can turn into a Pesce style player in the NHL he's a great pick. That's probably best case scenario.

I think there is a Schenn / Tanev / Pesce / Kovacevic type there, pretty valuable, especially a right shot.

I think the safe bet is something in that Schenn territory, a 2nd or 3rd pairing RD...but if it really clicks, an elite defenseman would be nice.

I believe he got tasked with the tougher minutes this year, rough start but has been rounding into form.

 

[Legion34]

I think there is a Schenn / Tanev / Pesce / Kovacevic type there, pretty valuable, especially a right shot.

I think the safe bet is something in that Schenn territory, a 2nd or 3rd pairing RD...but if it really clicks, an elite defenseman would be nice.

I believe he got tasked with the tougher minutes this year, rough start but has been rounding into form.

Yep a top 4 steady RHD who can play D is exactly what this team always needed.

What schenn was supposed to be.

 

[The Shadow]

Yep a top 4 steady RHD who can play D is exactly what this team always needed.

What schenn was supposed to be.

Schenn needed time in the AHL first

Danford should be living with Tanev his first year.

 

[Rude Dog]

Still pissed with this pick instead of getting Emery earlier.

I was on the Hutson train We will see.

 

[darrylsittler27]

Even if he is a Schenn type, a top 4 for us that's good. We needed that 2nd rounder for TD, so the trade hasn't played out yet.

 

[HockeyVirus]

My issue is just dmen who provide 0 offense have to basically become the elite of the elite defensively to carve out a job. Look at a guy like Cade Webber on the Marlies. Big guy, blocks a ton of shots, very good shutdown but he provides 0 offense which means he has to be so good he almost never allows a goal against when he is on the ice to play any worthwhile minutes.

Saying he can be another Tanev, easier said than done. Leafs like him for his size, puck blocking, and first pass which they think translates to the NHL playoff game well. That almost describes Tanev exactly. But what are the chances he gets that good?

Even if he does get that good, he is almost a lock for a 6/7 dman. Waste of a first round pick.

 

[robertmac43]

Saying he can be another Tanev, easier said than done. Leafs like him for his size, puck blocking, and first pass which they think translates to the NHL playoff game well. That almost describes Tanev exactly. But what are the chances he gets that good?

Tanev levels of good will likely be a tough ask.

I've seen Danford play in person a couple of times this season. He looks really good at the OHL level but is going to need a lot more time in the oven imo. I'd say its 4 or so years before he is making a noticeable impact for the Leafs

 

[HockeyVirus]

Tanev levels of good will likely be a tough ask.

I've seen Danford play in person a couple of times this season. He looks really good at the OHL level but is going to need a lot more time in the oven imo. I'd say its 4 or so years before he is making a noticeable impact for the Leafs

I think fans should be prepared for him to not be ready until he is 25/26. I can almost guarantee he will pass through waivers at some point before he hits whatever potential he has. Would have rather taken a big swing on a player or traded the pick for something that helps us now than use a first on this type of player.

 

[horner]

Ohl coaches poll last year
Hardest worker 3rd
Shit blocker 2nd
Best defensive dman 1st

I have watched him play twice this yr he skates really well and he seems to make the right play 900% of the time.
He is on tv twice this wknd

 

[-DeMo-]

Igor Chernyshov picked 2 spots behind Danford has 32 points in 12 games for Saginaw, went and seen him and Misa play live in Brantford/Guelph a couple weekends ago and he looked really good coming off his injury.

however did go see Ben on Family day vs Erie and thought he looked good as well definitely a good skater which should help him at the next level, made some nice outlet passes under pressure, with his offense not really improving so far this year he is probably a couple years away from making the NHL but still have high hopes for him.

 

[BrannigansLaw]

Ohl coaches poll last year
Hardest worker 3rd
Shit blocker 2nd
Best defensive dman 1st

I have watched him play twice this yr he skates really well and he seems to make the right play 900% of the time.
He is on tv twice this wknd

I’ve always been saying this team desperately needs an elite shit blocker

 

[Kurtz]

I’ve always been saying this team desperately needs an elite shit blocker

...who makes the right play 9 times out of 1.

 

[4thline]

Ohl coaches poll last year
Hardest worker 3rd
Shit blocker 2nd
Best defensive dman 1st

I have watched him play twice this yr he skates really well and he seems to make the right play 900% of the time.
He is on tv twice this wknd

That best Defensive dman at 17 is truly impressive.

 

[ULF_55]

Schenn needed time in the AHL first

Danford should be living with Tanev his first year.

I got roasted here saying that in his first years with the Leafs.

Of course there are others who won't give prospects a chance to fail.

So usually both sides of the coin are covered, but very little support to develop Schenn in the minors.

Enamoured with his physical play, overlooking the shallowness of it.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/4867100/2023/09/16/luke-schenn-predators-maple-leafs/

Well, when I first got down to San Diego (in the AHL in 2018), I thought like, yeah, this very well could be the end of the road. But then I started finding my game again and feeling better about my game. Dallas Eakins really helped me. He was the coach of San Diego. And then I started working with Adam Oates. And then once I started working on that and figuring some things out that were really helpful to my game, I told my dad and Brayden, my brother, “I think I could play another five years. I just need to get my foot in the door and get an opportunity again.”

And I didn’t know how I was going to play five years. And it’s a tough thing to say when you’re in the minors for the first time in your career at 29 years old and 700-and-something games (into your NHL career), when you’re passed by by the entire league, making league minimum — you’re thinking, well, how the heck am I going to play another five years when you’ve just been passed up? But I kind of believed I could. And a lot of people say, well, you gotta reinvent your game, which I disagreed (with). You don’t have to reinvent. My thought process was to evolve, evolve my game and adjust to the way that things were trending.

So I put a lot of work in and, eventually, I thought if I can continue to work on some things and you go from having zero leash to having a little bit of a leash and you kind of gradually build over time and work on things on the side, I started to believe it. I didn’t know how it was going to happen or if it could happen, but I personally believed it could. I just needed to get back in and be given an opportunity, which I was given in Vancouver my first time around with the Canucks (in 2019)

 

[dangomon]

My issue is just dmen who provide 0 offense have to basically become the elite of the elite defensively to carve out a job. Look at a guy like Cade Webber on the Marlies. Big guy, blocks a ton of shots, very good shutdown but he provides 0 offense which means he has to be so good he almost never allows a goal against when he is on the ice to play any worthwhile minutes.

Saying he can be another Tanev, easier said than done. Leafs like him for his size, puck blocking, and first pass which they think translates to the NHL playoff game well. That almost describes Tanev exactly. But what are the chances he gets that good?

Even if he does get that good, he is almost a lock for a 6/7 dman. Waste of a first round pick.

I don't think you can separate it into offence v defence and say that's all a player provides. I'm glad you brought up Webber because I think he's a perfect example of what a 'defensive' player may lack that could limit their ability to play in the NHL. Danford is a significantly better skater, and appears to be head and shoulders above Webber with his puck skills. He can make the right pass at the right time while better handling a forecheck with his feet and smarts.

A defensive player who only blocks shots and shuts down plays (Webber) is only valuable when they don't have the puck. Danford at least has the upside to have some value with the puck on his stick, even if it doesn't translate to offence. I think this is where people bring up the Tanev comparisons, not because they're a perfect match, but because they can provide value in similar facets (i.e., defensive acumen, outlet passes, physicality, etc.). You don't need him to reach Tanev's levels of "potentially the best defensive dman in the game" for him to be a #3-6 type defenseman.

He still has limited upside without more offence to his game, but you can't lump all 'defensive dmen' into one group and call them the same.

 

[Fogelhund]

The thing about defensemen, is they are so hard to predict what they will become. You look at a guy like Mark Giordano, undrafted, 48 points in 68 games in his draft year, 16 points in 66 games in his first AHL season. Went on the become a very good NHL D man, Norris trophy, career high 74 points.

Chara was a 3rd rounder, Keith a 2nd rounder, Karlsson a 3rd rounder,

I'm not trying to suggest Danford will become a Norris quality player, odds are highly against that, it's just that what a D will become, is incredibly hard to predict. You've also got guys like Liljegren, who at one point was in discussion for first overall... development is hard to predict.... So, for me, he's a guy you forget about, and maybe in a few years you have something, or not.

 

[HockeyVirus]

I don't think you can separate it into offence v defence and say that's all a player provides. I'm glad you brought up Webber because I think he's a perfect example of what a 'defensive' player may lack that could limit their ability to play in the NHL. Danford is a significantly better skater, and appears to be head and shoulders above Webber with his puck skills. He can make the right pass at the right time while better handling a forecheck with his feet and smarts.

A defensive player who only blocks shots and shuts down plays (Webber) is only valuable when they don't have the puck. Danford at least has the upside to have some value with the puck on his stick, even if it doesn't translate to offence. I think this is where people bring up the Tanev comparisons, not because they're a perfect match, but because they can provide value in similar facets (i.e., defensive acumen, outlet passes, physicality, etc.). You don't need him to reach Tanev's levels of "potentially the best defensive dman in the game" for him to be a #3-6 type defenseman.

He still has limited upside without more offence to his game, but you can't lump all 'defensive dmen' into one group and call them the same.

I question how good his puck skills actually are? I admittedly don't watch him much but his statline screams he will not produce as a professional player the same as Webber.

I think the staff saw a big right shot dman who can skate and their eyes glazed over. They are just hoping and praying he puts other parts of the game together rather than drafting him for ability.