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

[Goose]

Seems like we should be optimistic he'll turn into a decent NHL D who doesn't want to make us dropkick the tv every time he's pressured with the puck in his own end.

 

[Morgs]

He seems very good at passing but might need to heavily work on his shooting ability... Hes very much a pass it in the net.

I haven't seen enough to know for sure, but the passes this guy makes in the videos ive seen show some serious offensive zone IQ and transition ability.

Oh he was also voted the best defensive player in the East and scouts rave about his compete and skating ability more than anything else? Yeah I'm sold.

 

[notbias]

Mess’ stamp of approval

As good as Button's

 

[Larcos_Unal]

8 x 11.5

Too soon?

Have you learned nothing? We need a team friendly bridge deal first
4 x $8.79m

 

[ULF_55]

He seems very good at passing but might need to heavily work on his shooting ability... Hes very much a pass it in the net. Not many shot attempts/goals highlights lol

Maybe he can take some pointers on shooting from Rielly?
...
His skating looks good.
He has good size.
He is physical, and apparently mean.

 

[ErnieLeafs]

We can assume he takes on a top pairing role, if he wasn't in one already, for next year. Probably gonna get PP1 minutes, and will be pressed to shoot the puck amd further develop his offense.

 

[ULF_55]

We can assume he takes on a top pairing role, if he wasn't in one already, for next year. Probably gonna get PP1 minutes, and will be pressed to shoot the puck amd further develop his offense.

Maybe take marner's role on PP1 in a couple.

 

[Mess]

Mess’ stamp of approval

Just watch in a few days what a similar type stylistically RHD Chris Tanev is going to sign for and how teams with playoff aspirations love these big physical shutdown Dmen.

Ben Danford thinks the game in a more advanced way than most. He knows how to defend in-zone and how to move the puck up the ice. And he always plays the opposition physically. He closes his gap before the blue line, pressures the opposition all over the zone, and shows a lot of poise on retrieval, spinning off forecheckers, and attracting them before passing.

Our Leafs really don't have anything like him currently in the pipeline and if developed correctly could be a key piece of their future.

 

[Leaffan1991]

Webber and Danford are going to make for a hell of a shutdown pair

 

[hobarth]

A d-man who's scouting report reminds me of Gauthier, limited upside offensively but character and defensive game made him(Gauthier) interesting to the Leafs.

 

[Mess]

Not sure if his 2024 season reel has been posted yet

2024 NHL Draft : Ben Danford - 23-24 Highlights​

 

[Mess]

Maybe he can take some pointers on shooting from Rielly?
...
He skating looks good.
He has good size.
He is physical, and apparently mean.

Ben Danford thinks the game in a more advanced way than most. He knows how to defend in-zone and how to move the puck up the ice, but he couldn't always execute his ideas in the early parts of the season. The puck would spring off his stick in the middle of a manoeuvre and he would trip attempting to pivot and close in on an opponent. But as his technical ability and offensive touch improved, his success rate went up.

"Wow, who was the guy who showed up to play this game and what has he done with the version of Ben Danford from earlier in the season?" wrote Elite Prospects OHL scout Lauren Kelly in a December game report.

"Definitely the most impressive drafteligible on the ice. The gap control was pretty seamless. Several impressive activation's in the offensive zone, including one where he blew down the wall before passing to a teammate in the slot."

Danford started showing more and more abilities to retrieve and move pucks under pressure. He won more of his 1-on-1 engagement, playing the body and knocking pucks away. And his passing game expanded. He deceived forecheckers and defenders, linked plays with give-and-goes, and continuously jumped in gaps in the attack.

More smooth than explosive, Danford continued the high-level, creative plays and the timely stops started to significantly outnumbered the errors. He became a pillar of the contending Oshawa Generals.

 

[Ianturnedbull]

Right here in the HF GMs Handbook it says: "Must draft best player available". Why did Tre go against the Handbook?

 

[Leaf Fans]

Feels like Freddie the Goat pick all over again.

He sounds like a potential 3 center ( at the time of his draft) to you?

Right here in the HF GMs Handbook it says: Must draft best player available'. Why did Tre go against the Handbook?

What do you mean. He drafted the BPA.

 

[Mess]

Right here in the HF GMs Handbook it says: Must draft best player available'. Why did Tre go against the Handbook?

How This Affects the Maple Leafs’ Plans​

For the Maple Leafs, Danford feels like a perfect selection, even if it may not be the most exciting option they could have taken. The Maple Leafs desperately needed to add a quality right-shot defenseman to their prospect pool, as this is a very clear position of need for the team.

With Danford, they got a perfect player who has sound defensive abilities and projects to the NHL in three to five years. This might not be the sexy, home-run pick people were hoping for, but it’s a move that makes the Maple Leafs better in the long term, even if it might feel like a slight reach at pick 31.

Ben Danford has been the top defenceman on the Ontario Hockey League’s (OHL) Oshawa Generals in 2023-24. In just his second year in the league, he has developed into a great defender with some offensive ability as well. A very traditional two-way defenceman who will always take the defensive play over offence, the Generals are a much better team with him playing at his best. His leadership is another quality that the team appreciates. He makes regular appearances with the media and is one of the first players to stand up for his teammates.

 

[Buds17]

Right handed defencemen should be useful in some capacity once they are able or projected to make it to the show. Here's to hoping!

 

[Maple Leaf]

Drafting for need but this guy won't be playing any time soon

 

[Patmac40]

This is a sneaky good pick. Smart, mobile, mean and better offensively than numbers suggest. I’m betting on a breakout next year

 

[Stephen]

It's pretty telling how the Islanders have drafted Bellows, Wahlstrom and now Eiserman...

What about when they drafted Barzal, who fell in the 2015 draft?

 

[Stephen]

This is a sneaky good pick. Smart, mobile, mean and better offensively than numbers suggest. I’m betting on a breakout next year

It’s definitely a good housekeeping pick. Probably not as glamorous on the day of the draft but you don’t end up with a cupboard full of these player types if you don’t invest in them.

 

[93LEAFS]

What about when they drafted Barzal, who fell in the 2015 draft?

It's more all those guys are the exact same archetype and two of them have already failed.

 

[Apex Predator]

Anyone know where in the line up Danford played with Oshawa? Wonder if we see him playing higher in the line up next season and he takes a step forward and adds some offense.

 

[Mess]

On Wednesday, the Leafs‘ Director of Amateur Scouting Wes Clark again re-emphasized the two player traits the Leafs‘ draft team values most: intelligence and competitiveness. In a similar theme to the Easton Cowan pick of 2023. Those were the first two words Brad Treliving chose when describing the motivations for the Danford pick:

Danford grew into his second OHL season/draft season, put together a strong second half and postseason, and will play a central role in a team expected to challenge for an OHL championship in 2024-25.

“We think he is a real intelligent player and a real competitive guy. He is a right-shot defenseman. He is a guy who our staff was really focused in on. That is why we traded down. We took a chance and felt we could slide down with hopefully the availability to get him later as we did.

Lots of intanigbles. High-character kid. Moves really well. We think he is just scratching the surface of what he can do. High hockey intelligence and a really competitive kid. Right-shot defensemen are hard to find.” – Brad Treliving on the Ben Danford pick

 

[Leaf Fans]

Drafting for need but this guy won't be playing any time soon

A year or two perhaps.

 

[Mess]

What about Solberg? He's literally the same type of player but more physical?

The leafs wined and dined him and then rekt him

After deciding to trade the pick to Anaheim, who selected Norwegian defenseman Stian Solberg at 23rd overall, the Leafs used the 31st on Danford, the Oshawa Generals standout, who produced 33 points in 64 games in the OHL last season. In the end, the Leafs nabbed the 31st overall pick and the 58th overall pick from the Anaheim Ducks, sending pick #23 to California.

The prospect pool in Toronto is relatively thin, as former GM Kyle Dubas had dealt a lot of draft picks and prospects during the course of his time at the helm for the Leafs. It would appear as though Brad Treliving's Leafs will operate under a different set of principles, trading down to remain in the 1st round but also pick up a 2nd round pick in hopes of re-stocking the cupboards in Toronto.

So now the comparison becomes stay for Stian Solberg or go with Ben Danford & the 58th overall pick.​