// Workers AI · dad joke modeIs Ben Danford a good baker? He's a great dan-ford-er of bread.
| Ben Danford | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
February 6, 2006 Madoc, Ontario, Canada | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||
| Weight | 200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shoots | Right | ||
| NHL team (P) Cur. team |
Toronto Maple Leafs Toronto Marlies (AHL) | ||
| NHL draft |
31st overall, 2024 Toronto Maple Leafs | ||
| Playing career | 2026–present | ||
Ben Danford (born February 6, 2006) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect to the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted 31st overall by the Maple Leafs in the 2024 NHL entry draft.
Playing career
[edit]On April 20, 2022, Danford was drafted 14th overall by the Oshawa Generals in the 2022 OHL Draft.[1] On May 13, 2022, he signed with the Generals.[2] During the 2022–23 season, in his first season with the Generals, he recorded four goals and 17 assists in 63 regular season games.[3] During the 2023–24 season, he recorded one goal and 32 assists in 64 regular season games. During the playoffs, he recorded four goals and six assists in 21 games.[4][5]
On June 28, 2024, Danford was drafted 31st overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2024 NHL entry draft.[6][7] He was later signed to a three-year, entry-level contract with the Maple Leafs on August 2, 2024.[8] During a Maple Leafs' rookie camp scrimmage, Danford suffered a concussion after receiving a hit to the head by invitee Marshall Finnie. The concussion caused him to miss the Prospect Showdown against the Montreal Canadiens and the Maple Leafs training camp. On September 30, Danford was loaned back to the Oshawa Generals.[9] Upon his return, the Generals named him the team captain for the 2024–25 season, which he called “surreal.” He had 5 goals and 20 assists in 61 games in the regular season,[10] and was named a Third Team All-Star.[11] In the postseason, Danford led the Generals on another deep run to the OHL Finals, where they faced the London Knights for the second consecutive year, and were again defeated. Danford had 2 goals and 3 assists in 21 playoff games.[10]
On October 30, 2025, the Generals traded Danford along with Zackary Sandhu to the Brantford Bulldogs in exchange for Aiden O'Donnell, Lucas Moore, Luca DiPlacido, and nine OHL draft picks.[12]
International play
[edit]| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Representing  Canada | ||
| Ice hockey | ||
| World Junior Championships | ||
 | 2026 United States | |
Danford represented Canada at the 2026 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships and won a bronze medal.[13]
Personal life
[edit]Danford's father, Allan, was drafted in the 15th round of the 1987 OHL Draft by the Toronto Marlboros.[14] His family owns a construction company, Danford Construction.[15]
Career statistics
[edit]Regular season and playoffs
[edit]| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2022–23 | Oshawa Generals | OHL | 63 | 4 | 17 | 21 | 42 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2023–24 | Oshawa Generals | OHL | 64 | 1 | 32 | 33 | 25 | 21 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 22 | ||
| 2024–25 | Oshawa Generals | OHL | 61 | 5 | 20 | 25 | 68 | 21 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | ||
| 2025–26 | Oshawa Generals | OHL | 8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2025–26 | Brantford Bulldogs | OHL | 37 | 2 | 14 | 16 | 8 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 9 | ||
| 2025–26 | Toronto Marlies | AHL | — | — | — | — | — | 16 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | ||
| OHL totals | 233 | 13 | 86 | 99 | 148 | 60 | 7 | 12 | 19 | 35 | ||||
International
[edit]| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Canada Red | U17 |  |
7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 10 | |
| 2023 | Canada | HG18 |  |
5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| Junior totals | 12 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 14 | ||||
Awards and honours
[edit]| Award | Year | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|
| OHL | |||
| Third All-Star Team | 2025 | [11] | |
| AHL | |||
| Calder Cup champion | 2026 | [16] | |
References
[edit]- ↑ Sweetland, Josh (May 5, 2022). "#OHLDraft Introductions: 14th Overall Pick Ben Danford (Oshawa Generals)". chl.ca. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
- ↑ "14th overall selection Ben Danford commits to Generals". chl.ca. May 13, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
- ↑ "Ben Danford picked 31st overall by Toronto Maple Leafs at 2024 NHL Draft". chl.ca. June 28, 2024. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
- ↑ Gad, Adham (March 24, 2022). "Maple Leafs' first-round pick Ben Danford 'will do anything to win'". Sportsnet. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
- ↑ McCarthy, Rowan (June 24, 2024). "Where will Ben Danford go in the 2024 NHL draft?". The Hockey News. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
- ↑ Koshan, Terry (June 28, 2024). "Maple Leafs trade down in first round, take D-man Danford". Toronto Sun. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
- ↑ Siegel, Jonas; Kloke, Joshua (June 29, 2024). "The Maple Leafs' prospect pool is thin on defence. Enter Ben Danford". The Athletic. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
- ↑ "Maple Leafs sign 2024 first-round draft pick Ben Danford". Toronto Maple Leafs. August 2, 2024. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
- ↑ Barden, Nick (2024-09-30). "Maple Leafs Send Defensive Prospect Ben Danford Back to OHL's Oshawa Generals After Recovery From Concussion". The Hockey News. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
- 1 2 Doerfler, Evan (May 28, 2025). "'I Can Hold My Own': Maple Leafs Prospect Ben Danford Embraces Physical Edge, Leadership Role In First Season As Generals' Captain". The Hockey News. Retrieved June 5, 2025.
- 1 2 "OHL Announces 2024-25 All-Star and All-Rookie Teams". Canadian Hockey League. May 30, 2025. Retrieved June 5, 2025.
- ↑ "Bulldogs and Generals complete major trade involving five players and nine draft selections". CHL.ca. OHL. October 30, 2025. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
- ↑ Aykroyd, Lucas (January 5, 2026). "Canada ends medal drought with bronze". IIHF.com. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
- ↑ Gad, Adham (March 24, 2022). "Danford Following in Dad's Footsteps as he Captains Red Devils". omha.net. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
- ↑ McGran, Kevin (June 29, 2024). "Maple Leafs select Oshawa Generals defenceman who can do a little heavy lifting". Toronto Star. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
- ↑ "Simply Mar-velous! Marlies win Calder Cup". American Hockey League. June 19, 2026. Retrieved June 20, 2026.
External links
[edit]- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or The Internet Hockey Database