Can Maple Leafs turn another Draft reach into a Draft steal with Ben Danford?

Credit: Ben Danford (Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff)

LAS VEGAS – What is it about the Toronto Maple Leafs and perceived first-round reaches at the NHL Draft under director of amateur scouting Wes Clark?

Last year, when they nabbed Easton Cowan from the London Knights 28^th overall, eliciting audible gaps at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, he ranked in the mid to late 50s on the majority of draft boards. The Leafs carried themselves with a knowing confidence after that selection, insisting they knew they weren’t reaching, and they sure delivered on that assertion. Cowan had an incredible season with the OHL’s London Knights, capturing the Red Tilson Trophy as most outstanding player, and made Clark look like a genius in the process. Cowan, a bulldog of a forward who went off for 96 points in 54 games, is now the crown jewel of Toronto’s prospect pool, considered an untouchable and a threat to make the team in 2024-25.

And darned if Friday night in Las Vegas didn’t feel like a replay of 2023. After trading down from pick 23 to pick 31, the Leafs called the name of Oshawa Generals defenseman Ben Danford. Daily Faceoff prospect analyst Steven Ellis had him 54^th, and most major media outlets’ rankings placed him similarly. He’s known as a two-way defenseman with a mean streak at 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds, a potential shutdown blueliner at the NHL level. He’s coming off a one-goal season, but the Leafs see untapped offensive ability. As Clark revealed Saturday after the Draft wrapped up, Danford was Toronto’s target all along.

“Elite intangibles, excellent defensive instincts, just checks all the boxes we were looking for,” Clark said. “The upside is sky high.”

And if you believe in the implications of vibes: goodness, were they positive emanating from Danford as he held court with the media Friday night. Hailing from the small Ontario town of Madoc, he was born into diehard Leafs fandom and grew up idolizing Phil Kessel and now-teammate Morgan Rielly. Danford carries himself with the breezy confidence of a veteran who’s been handling the Toronto circus for years. When asked to share something people wouldn’t know about him, he proudly explained that his father runs a construction company and that he knows how to operate all the machinery, from excavators to backhoes. Danford also gave a bang-up sales pitch on what he can bring to Toronto on the ice.

“200 foot guy, I’m a strong skater, good hockey IQ, I compete hard,” he said. “That’s the main thing that headlines my strengths, my compete. I block shots. I’ll do anything for the team to win. Offensively I have some more steps to unlock there. That something I need to work on. But I feel with my hockey ability, skating and hockey sense, it’s there, definitely.”

Talking a smooth game doesn’t guarantee success, of course. But one reason the Leafs feel excited about Danford: he, like Cowan last year, got better as the season progressed. In the playoffs, Danford quadrupled his regular-season goal total from one to four and had 10 points in 21 games, hinting at more two-way upside than he showed in the regular season. He attributed his improvement to feeding off his coaches’ information, especially that of head coach Derek Laxdal, a 1984 Leafs eighth-round draft pick who played 67 games in the NHL.

“He has experience in the NHL, so he knows what it takes,” Danford said. “He kind of made me open my eyes a little bit to what I’m gonna be at the next level. ‘Defense first and the offense will come’ sort of thing. That was a huge difference maker for me.”

“I’ve seen the player lots, watched a lot of video on him as well, I think he’s an underrated player right now,” said Leafs GM Brad Treliving. “He skates so well, the way he defends, he’s able to gap up, his puck retrievals. I think the offensive side of his game is still going to grow. He’s a hard defender, high-character guy, very competitive, lots to like with him. We’re very excited about the pick.”

Now, we wait and see if the Leafs can repeat their trick of last year. But unlike with Cowan, we won’t necessarily know a year from now whether Danford is a home-run selection. As a right-shot with shutdown potential, he fits the exact profile of the type of player Toronto seeks, but as a blueliner, he needs more time to develop than a forward and he’s likely years away from contributing at the NHL level.

Whatever happens, the Leafs have earned at least a little bit of trust with the Cowan pick, so maybe they once again knew something their rivals didn’t when it came to Danford.

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Can Maple Leafs turn another Draft reach into a Draft steal with Ben Danford?

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