Maple Leafs sign Ben Danford to three-year, entry-level contract

Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving announced that the club has signed Ben Danford to a three-year, entry-level contract.

Danford was selected No. 31 overall in the first round of the 2024 NHL Draft back in June.

The 18-year-old notched one goal and 32 assists for 33 points in 64 games with the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) during the 2023-24 regular season. Danford added four goals and six assists for 10 points in 24 games during the Generals’ OHL playoff run.

“He’s mean, he isn’t afraid to hand out some lumber on (an opponent) in front of his net,” an OHL scout told Daily Faceoff’s, Hunter Crowther. “Whoever takes this guy is getting someone who will be a 22-minute-a-night guy in a few years.”

One OHL coach told Daily Faceoff, that Danford was one of the smartest players in this year’s draft, a high IQ defender who can take the puck off nearly any forward, block any shot and have strong positioning in any space on the rink.

Daily Faceoff prospect analyst Steven Ellis said “For a defenceman with Danford’s offensive abilities, it’s crazy he had just one goal during the regular season with Oshawa. But he’s a guy his teammates like to rely on because he’s rarely caught making a mistake distributing the puck. I’ve seen Danford play both sides on the blueline this year but I think he’s got something going on the left side – it fits his shot better.”

Maple Leafs director of amateur scouting Wes Clark raved about Danford’s defensive intelligence, “Elite intangibles,” Clark said of Danford to Sportsnet’s Luke Fox. “Excellent defensive instincts. Just checks all the boxes that we were looking for. The upside, I think, is sky high…. Ben was pretty much the target all the way along. So, lucky we got him.”

The 6’2, 192-pound defensive defenseman has posted five goals and 49 assists for 54 points through 127 career regular season OHL games. Danford has racked up four goals and seven assists for 11 points in 26 OHL Playoff contests.