Ben Danford
Ben Danford is a Canadian junior ice hockey defenceman for the Brantford Bulldogs of the Ontario Hockey League as a prospect to the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League. He was drafted 31st overall by the Maple Leafs in the 2024 NHL entry draft.
Playing career
On April 20, 2022, Danford was drafted 14th overall by the Oshawa Generals in the 2022 OHL Draft. On May 13, 2022, he signed with the Generals. During the 2022–23 season, in his first season with the Generals, he recorded four goals and 17 assists in 63 regular season games. 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.On June 28, 2024, Danford was drafted 31st overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2024 NHL entry draft. He was later signed to a three-year, entry-level contract with the Maple Leafs on August 2, 2024. 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. Upon his return, the Generals named him the team captain for the new season, which he called “surreal.” He had 5 goals and 20 assists in 61 games in the regular season, and was named a Third Team All-Star. 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.
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.