Daily Faceoff projects Maple Leafs’ Ben Danford to make Team Canada’s World Juniors team
We’re into December, which means the World Juniors are just around the corner.
Team Canada is expected to name its roster in the coming days, while holding a 10-day training camp in Niagara Falls from December 12-22. Daily Faceoff prospect expert Steven Ellis listed Toronto Maple Leafs top prospect Ben Danford in his
final roster projection last week, which would be a massive accomplishment for the 2024 first-round pick.
Ellis wrote that Danford ‘can shut down just about anyone’ and we agree with the assessment. Danford was always projected to be a stay-at-home defencemen, with a mandate to work on his offensive game during his final two seasons in the Ontario Hockey League.
Brantford leads the OHL with a 19-1-4-1 record, while boasting several NHL prospects, including Jake O’Brien (Seattle Kraken) Jett Luchanko (Philadelphia Flyers) Adam Benak (Minnesota Wild) Marek Vanacker (Chicago Blackhawks) Adam Jiricek (St. Louis Blues) and fellow Maple Leafs prospect Sam McCue, among others, including Caleb Malhotra, who is a projected top-15 pick for the 2026 NHL Draft.
Danford was ranked as The Leafs Nation’s No. 2 prospect this summer. Easton Cowan has firmly graduated to the NHL, so Danford can be considered the Leafs’ best prospect at the moment, with a chance to compete for an NHL roster spot next fall.
Here’s what Ellis wrote about Danford in August:
Danford has plenty of big-game experience already, having played in two straight OHL championship series. Neither proved fruitful, but he still looked good regardless. Danford is a guy his teammates like to rely on because he’s rarely caught making a mistake distributing the puck. I saw Danford play both sides on the blueline last year, but I think he’s got something going on the left side – it fits his shot better. Danford said he hopes to be like Chris Tanev, which I think is a solid comparison. He probably tops out as a No. 4 defenseman in Toronto, but I think he’ll be quite reliable.
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