Is the Maple Leafs' Ben Danford Developing Backwards?

Most young hockey players reach the professional level because of their offensive ability and then learn how to defend. The Maple Leafs prospect might be doing it the other way around.

Most highly regarded young hockey players follow a fairly predictable development path. Their offensive ability gets them noticed. They score goals, pile up assists and dominate offensively at the junior level. Once they reach professional hockey, coaches begin teaching them the other half of the game.

Ben Danford might be developing backwards. The Toronto Maple Leafs selected Danford 31st overall in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. He arrived with a reputation as a defence-first defenceman whose offensive upside was questionable.

His numbers certainly didn't suggest otherwise. In his final junior season with the Brantford Bulldogs, Danford scored three goals and 17 assists for 20 points in 45 regular-season games. He added just three points in 13 playoff games.

Then I watched him play for the Toronto Marlies during their playoff run.

Danford’s Defence Is Already There.

What impressed me wasn't Danford's defensive play. That was expected. It was what happened when the puck ended up on his stick. Danford was surprisingly calm with it.

He didn't panic under pressure or automatically throw the puck around the boards. He looked for an open teammate, created passing lanes and showed the confidence to step around forecheckers rather than simply getting rid of the puck. When space was available, he took it.

I watched him carry the puck out of his own zone, through neutral ice and occasionally into the offensive zone. The play didn't die on his stick. That might be the most intriguing part of his development.

What If Danford’s Offence Comes Second?

Danford doesn't have to learn how to become a responsible defensive player while trying to establish himself professionally. That foundation is already there. Instead, his next stage of development could be learning how much more he can do with the puck.

I don't expect Danford to suddenly become a goal-scoring defenceman. His offensive game appears much more likely to develop through skating, puck movement and finding open teammates. That's why his modest junior scoring totals might not tell us much about what he eventually becomes.

Most young players use their offensive ability to get to professional hockey and then learn how to defend. Danford might have arrived with the hard part already figured out. Now we get to find out how much offence he can build on top of it.

Maybe Ben Danford isn't developing backwards after all. Maybe he's simply building his game from the other end of the ice.