‘Do the right things when no one’s looking’: Interview with Maple Leafs’ Ben Danford

TORONTO — Ben Danford would be hard pressed to choose a better mentor as a big, rugged, stay-at-home, Ontario-born defenceman out to kill penalties, lead in the room, and shut down the opposition’s most frightening threats.

So, it makes a world of sense that the top blueline prospect in the Toronto Maple Leafs’ system has been busying picking the brain of the recently retired Jake Muzzin during Danford’s first full, concussion-free NHL training camp.

“He’s a younger guy. We’re really comfortable with each other. We have a great relationship. I mean, he knows his stuff,” the 19-year-old Danford says. “He’s taught me what’s gonna make me good, starting now in junior to make sure I’m ready for the next level. 

“You know, we chat a lot.”

In his head-turning pre-season appearances, the pride of tiny Madoc, Ont. (population: 2,233), looks closer to the next level than many anticipated.

Danford has no interest in a flashy game. He’s all about limiting scoring chances and cutting out mistakes. The established veterans he’s been sharing the sheet with at camp rave about his maturity and poise, his edge in the battles and growing confidence with that first pass.

“Hockey IQ and feet,” Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube figures, make Danford an intriguing option down the road. “He knows where the puck’s going. He’s simple. He doesn’t overcomplicate it. I’m not saying he doesn’t ever (make mistakes). But for the most part, he sees the outlet, makes the play, and he’s a good defender. He plays with a little bite, too.”

In addition to development staffer Muzzin, Danford trained with fellow right-shot Chris Tanev over the summer. Role models that should be music to Leafs fans ears.

And while Danford will soon return to junior for a fourth tour with the Oshawa Generals, his camp has been the most impressive of all the ones who don’t make the cut.

“They treat me unreal,” Danford raves of Toronto’s encouraging veteran D corps. “And they don’t have to.”

One day, Danford will come gunning for a job in this town. 

Today, Toronto has nine NHL-experienced defencemen on its roster. Its top six are locked up through 2026-27. Four are under contract through 2027-28.

This affords the six-foot-two, 192-pound teenager plenty more time to grow and will prevent the organization from rushing him.

Still, the makings of a dependable, determined defender are evident.

We caught up with Danford one day at camp, as he leaned against the glass inside the Maple Leafs practice facility and chatted about a dream that is inching toward reality.

(This interview has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.)

SPORTSNET.CA: When did this whole hockey thing begin for you?

BEN DANFORD: I was four, so I don’t really remember. I started playing organized hockey quick. I played a year up, two years up at the start. Won a couple OMHAs when I was really young. Won some red hats. Then I made the jump to AAA when I was eight in Quinte (for the Red Devils) and was there my whole minor hockey career.

SN: Ever try playing forward?

BD: I was always a D-man. Always.

SN: Why?

BD: My dad (Allan) was a defenceman. He played hockey until Junior A. He got drafted to the OHL (in the 15th round by the Toronto Marlboros in 1987) but never played there. He's just a really big hockey fan, and he's a D-man. I started there, and I just enjoyed it. I took a lot of pride in stopping other teams’ best forwards. 

SN: But you pinched more when you were in minor, I bet. 

BD: I was more risky back then. (Laughs.) For sure.

SN: At what point did it hit you: OK, I might be good enough to make a career of this? 

BD: Coming from a small town, it just feels like that much more of a dream: Oh, yeah, dream big, kid. But you're from a small town. No one ever really knows about you, nothin’. I was playing hockey because I loved it. And I never really thought that I could make a living out of this — until the last year of minor hockey. I started getting interest from scouts and realizing I was going to go pretty high in the OHL draft (he went 14th overall). When I was picking agents, a lot of people were reaching out, so that was an eye-opener. Like, I love this game so much. So, that'd be unreal. Make that dream a reality.

SN: As a kid, were you all hockey, all the time?

BD: I loved everything when I was a kid and was fairly athletic. I played softball, soccer. Always golfed. My family is athletic. Both my sisters played rep basketball all the way through. My mom and dad were really athletic in their teens and stuff. It was always hockey that I wanted to play most.

SN: Did you consider going the NCAA route?

BD: No, it never went through my mind.

SN: What do you think about that decision, which so many Canadian athletes face?

BD: It depends where you are, maturity-wise. Some guys are late bloomers. Going the NCAA route might be better because they have two extra years before they go to school. They can go to Junior A, play more, develop. And sometimes it’s better for players to jump right to the OHL with older guys and play that way. It's whatever that player thinks they need.

SN: Your Generals have a bitter rivalry with Easton Cowan’s London Knights, and they edged you in a couple OHL finals. Now you guys are teammates here at camp. Describe your relationship.

BD: We’re best buds. Some people might think we didn't like each other for a little bit there in the finals, because there's no friends on the ice. We had some battles there, went at it a little bit. Let’s move on and hopefully some day we both get to put on that Leaf jersey together. After I got drafted (in 2024), that's the first time I met him. He was already here for a year, so him and Fraser Minten, they were already good buddies. They took me under their wing, showed me around and made me feel comfortable at development camp. From there, we've been really close.

SN: What’s it like defending him? 

BD: He’s like a pit bull. He just buzzes around. He wants the puck. He's a great player. Yeah, he’s pretty hard to defend.

SN: What did it mean to be named captain of the Generals last season?

BD: Super surreal. Oshawa, that organization, the reputation it has, and getting named captain? Huge honour, leading that great group of guys on a really deep playoff run. It's tough how it ended, but I wouldn't have wanted to lead any other group of guys. We had an unreal room. So tight.

SN: What did you learn about yourself as a leader?

BD: My play style is, lead by example. I play hard, block shots. I sacrifice the body. I'll do anything for the team to win. And I'm vocal in the room. I always have been, ever since my second year in the O. I wore an "A" that year. I wasn't maybe as vocal at that age; there was a lot of other older guys still in the room. But I didn’t change much.

Just do the right things when no one's looking. Last year, especially with the younger guys, I put myself in their shoes. When I came to the league, I was a nervous kid — a lot of older guys around, first time moving away from home. So, I was really trying to open the door for them to feel comfortable. Take them out for lunch. Invite them over to hang out with all the guys as a team. We did movie nights as a team. 

SN: What movies?

BD: Well, I don't like them, but some of the guys like the horror movies.

SN: Ugh. I can’t do horror.

BD: Not for me, either. I’m a jacket-over-the-face guy.