MAPLE LEAFS TRADE DOWN IN FIRST ROUND, TAKE D-MAN DANFORD

Imagine if the Maple Leafs could hit fast forward on Ben Danford.

It’s a shame their first-round pick in the National Hockey League draft on Friday night will need more seasoning before he’s potentially ready to patrol the blue line in Toronto.

A right-shooting defensive defenceman, Danford checks all the boxes in what Leafs general manager Brad Treliving seeks for his defence corps right now.

The Leafs drafted Danford with the 31st pick at the Sphere in Las Vegas after completing a trade to move down in the first round. Originally slated to pick 23rd, the Leafs traded that selection to the Anaheim Ducks for the 31st and 58th picks in the draft.

In Danford, who was an alternate captain this past season with the Oshawa Generals, the Leafs got a player who has gained much respect in his two seasons in the Ontario Hockey League.

“I’m a 200-foot guy, strong skater, good hockey IQ,” Danford said, describing himself to media in Las Vegas. “I compete hard. That’s the main thing that headlines my strengths, my compete.

“I block shots, I’ll do anything for the team to win. I feel like offensively, I have some more steps to unlock there, I feel like it’s something I need to work on.”

That dependable, fearless approach was recognized in the annual poll of coaches in the OHL.

For the 2023-24 season, the 18-year-old Danford was voted the best defensive defenceman in the Eastern Conference, the second-best shot blocker in the conference and was third in the hardest worker category.

The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Danford had one goal and 32 assists in 64 games, was plus-27 and had 25 penalty minutes. He followed that with 10 points (four goals and six assists) in 21 playoff games.

Treliving had spoken this week of acquiring more draft choices if the chance arose.

He said he was not opposed to trading the No. 23 pick, but figured he would be keeping it. Before the trade with Anaheim, the Leafs were not going to be picking again until No. 120 on Saturday.

“We think he is a really intelligent player, really competitive,” Treliving told Sportsnet. “He’s a guy that our staff was really focused in on. That’s why we traded down. We took a chance, felt we could slide down and hopefully the availability to get him later, as we did. Lots of intangibles. High-character kid. He’s scratching the surface of what he can be.”

In many rankings, Danford was rated as a second-round pick. As we saw last year with Easton Cowan, the Leafs are fine, thanks, with sticking to their own list and making the pick they think is best.

A native of Madoc, Ont., Danford was asked in Vegas: What don’t we know about you?

“My dad owns a construction company and I can operate heavy machinery — excavators, backhoes, stuff like that,” Danford said. “I don’t do that as work, but I’m able to operate them. It’s fun. I’ve been doing it since I was 13.”

And yes, Danford as been cheering for the Leafs since he was a kid, one who was especially enamoured with Phil Kessel (for all of those goals) and later, Morgan Rielly.

“I’ve been a lifelong Leafs fan,” Danford said. “I’ve watched so many Leafs games growing up and playoffs and it makes that much more special to get drafted by your favourite team as a little kid. It’s awesome.”

Danford is expected to be at the Leafs’ summer development camp, running July 3-7 at the Ford Performance Centre.

He’s the fifth defenceman taken in the first round by the Leafs in the past 15 years, following Rasmus Sandin, Timothy Liljegren, Rielly and Stuart Percy.

Given the Leafs’ lack of prospects on the blue line, it’s crucial that the club gets it right in developing Danford to the point that he makes an impact in the defence corps.

On Saturday, the Leafs will pick at Nos. 58, 120, 151, 152, 157, 200 and 216.