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# 2026 T25U25: Ben Danford is #4
- URL: https://www.pensionplanpuppets.com/2026-t25u25-ben-danford-is-4/
- Published: 2026-09-11T12:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-11T12:00:00.000Z
- Description: Toronto's top defense prospect is ready to go pro full-time after finally winning a championship with the Marlies last spring.
- Author: Brian S
- Tags: Top 25 Under 25

The label "Toronto's top defense prospect" hasn't meant a whole lot in recent years. The last blue chip defense prospect Toronto had is arguably Morgan Rielly, who was drafted in 2012\. Since then, the highest defenseman Toronto drafted was Liljegren 17th overall, then Sandin at 29th overall, and to round out all the first round defensemen Ben Danford at 31st overall back in 2024.

There is a chance that Danford could wind up as being the best defenseman Toronto has drafted since Mo while also being chronically underappreciated.

| Ben Danford      | Vitals |
| ---------------- | ------ |
| Age as of July 1 | 20.4   |
| Position         | RD     |
| Height           | 6'2"   |
| Weight (lbs)     | 200    |
| Shoots           | R      |
| Draft Year       | 2024   |
| Draft Number     | 31     |

### The Player

I feel like, by now, Danford already has a firmly established reputation – and potentially misunderstood. The 'known' reputation is all about his mobility and his defense. He has elite skating, including four-way mobility, agility, edgework, speed, acceleration, backwards skating, pivots... you name it, he can skate around it. That high level skating is what forms the core of his strengths as a defenseman.

In a similar vein, if you name a specific area of defense, Danford is probably very good at it. He has excellent rush defense with managing gaps with that skating, using a good and active stick to force turnovers or lead the puck carrier where he wants, and so on. In his own end, he has excellent positioning and awareness to deny dangerous passes into the slot and can stick to his man along the boards like velcro to pin them on the boards. 

> Ben Danford made a critical defensive play in overtime last night. [pic.twitter.com/Opg84BopuW](https://t.co/Opg84BopuW?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com)
> 
> — Mark (@MarkUkLeaf) [May 30, 2026](https://x.com/MarkUkLeaf/status/2060699522565628183?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=pensionplanpuppets.com)

Outside of just the skating, Danford has all the other tools you'd want from a high-level defender. First and foremost is his high-level defensive brain. You can see that in his proactive positioning, his decision making, his processing and anticipation, and just the high pace he can think the game in front of him. He has good size and strength, is willing to play with physicality and has some highlight reel hits, and is a high-effort, high-energy competitor who doesn't give up on a play.

> Ben Danford ([#LeafsForever](https://x.com/hashtag/LeafsForever?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=pensionplanpuppets.com)) catches Yanis Lutz cutting across the middle with his head down on the PP and steps up and crushes him. McCallum then takes an instigator penalty and the [#Gens](https://x.com/hashtag/Gens?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=pensionplanpuppets.com) scored on that powerplay. Then later in the game, Danford scores a PPG of his own [pic.twitter.com/KUqqOGe5MO](https://t.co/KUqqOGe5MO?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com)
> 
> — Generals Live (@GeneralsUpdates) [October 20, 2025](https://x.com/GeneralsUpdates/status/1980152263013535887?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=pensionplanpuppets.com)

Where I think the reputation he has is lagging behind is his puck skills. I don't think Danford is going to be a big point producer in the NHL, but I do think the skills he has with the puck are what will be underrated. What he is good at, even if he doesn't project as elite, is his ability to move the puck up the ice on retrievals, push it through the neutral zone, and help facilitate offense by keeping it moving with a relatively low turnover rate. 

But Danford also has always been flashing enough skill in producing points that I can't help but think he'll be able to pitch in enough offense that, with his defense, he can be an extremely solid all-around defender. 

> DANNY BOY!!!!!  
>  
> Ben Danford scores his first Pro goal to make it 1-1! | [@cocacola\_ca](https://x.com/cocacola%5Fca?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=pensionplanpuppets.com) [pic.twitter.com/97KDoWP8O1](https://t.co/97KDoWP8O1?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com)
> 
> — Toronto Marlies (@TorontoMarlies) [June 13, 2026](https://x.com/TorontoMarlies/status/2065598755689169165?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=pensionplanpuppets.com)

> Ben Danford says good morning.  
>  
> What a win for the Toronto Marlies last night. [pic.twitter.com/WxSXegp55g](https://t.co/WxSXegp55g?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com)
> 
> — Mark (@MarkUkLeaf) [May 30, 2026](https://x.com/MarkUkLeaf/status/2060687033060725027?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=pensionplanpuppets.com)

> More Danford from last night. [pic.twitter.com/dwx7OJQvvq](https://t.co/dwx7OJQvvq?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com)
> 
> — Mark (@MarkUkLeaf) [May 30, 2026](https://x.com/MarkUkLeaf/status/2060696759198773386?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=pensionplanpuppets.com)

This is where Danford can become a legitimate contributor on offense. His skating, anticipation, and (for the most part) decision making all put him in positions to Make A Play. The final pieces of the puzzle to becoming more consistent at executing the plays he tries will be refining his hands and learning, through experience, what he can pull off and what he can't. 

I believe that Danford started to show more consistency in these areas last year, though it wasn't talked about much. He improved enough that, on the Marlies' run to the Calder Cup championship, the coaches gave him time on the second powerplay unit. You don't get that opportunity if you have the offensive skill of a Simon Benoit.

### The Votes

Here's how the rest of the voters placed Danford on their rankings:

| Voter            | Vote |
| ---------------- | ---- |
| Cathy            | 4    |
| Species          | 4    |
| Hound Line       | 4    |
| Shinson93        | 5    |
| Cameron          | 4    |
| Sclodiggity      | 4    |
| Brian S          | 6    |
| Svalbard38       | 5    |
| Zone Entry       | 3    |
| Hardev           | 4    |
| Adam             | 4    |
| Weighted Average | 4.27 |
| Highest Vote     | 3    |
| Lowest Vote      | 6    |

Personally, I had him 6th, and now I have to once again rant about rankings. The two players I put ahead of him who may be a surprise is Koblar and Bilecki. Bilecki is just a guy I believe in a lot, probably irrationally but I don't really care. I also, probably, also to some level of irrationally, like Koblar and Danford. 

I am willing to bet that, despite being the one to rank Danford the lowest, I probably have the highest opinion on Danford's all around game of any of the voters except maybe Cathy. Zone Entry's blurb below matches my opinion on Danford in a vacuum. 

Let me put it this way. Many people have, since Danford was drafted in the summer of 2024, compared his game to Chris Tanev's as far as being a very smart elite defensive defenseman. But that's often said to be Danford's ceiling. I'm here telling you that I think Tanev's level of value is something I think could arguably be his ***floor***. That doesn't mean I think Danford will be as purely elite defensively, I said 'level of value' for a reason, because I think Danford already shows more potential on the other side of the puck. It's to the point that I think his ceiling may be closer to another former Flame-turned-Leafs defenseman: T.J. Brodie. 

### The Opinions

Here's what some of the other voters had to say about Benny:

> **Hardev**: It's a shame Danford didn't get to play in the AHL last year because I think he was fully ready for that level. 

> In terms of "modern" defenders, a definition that is always changing, there are two types that I think find themselves at the top of a lineup. The high-flying, puck on a string guys who think and move faster than anyone. Makar, Hughes, Karlsson, those guys. They can essentially be the 2nd forward in a unit. In the past, the Leafs didn't necessarily need this version because they had Marner playing an equivalent 200-ft game. Now they have McKenna, potentially. 

> The other elite type of defender can do less directly in the offensive zone, but use their think and move skills really effectively in transition and in the defensive zone. Fewer points, lower salary, but not at all less valuable. I think the equivalents in today's (or maybe yesterday's) NHL are guys like Dahlin, Doughty, Hedman, Brodin, Spurgeon, Slavin, Tanev. Danford is so good defensively and in transition that he makes me really excited as a prospect, and I think he could join that group. The people saying he has a third pair or second pair ceiling are being ridiculous, in my opinion. I think they spend too long looking at boxscores and shaking their heads when a defender doesn't do a sweet dangle. 

> **Shinson93**: Danford showed me just about everything I needed to see in his playoff run with the Marlies. I also love the chemistry he seems to have developed with Cowan. This is a solid pro defenseman that will make me happy watching for hopefully many years to come. 

> **Sclodiggity**: I will be bummed (but not overly shocked) if he doesn’t get NHL games this year. A natural replacement for some of our aging defencemen who may miss games. Could he push out Andrae or Stecher? That would be surprising, but may not sound so crazy after a 10-game injury call up.

> **Hound Line**: It was a small sample but boy, he looked good for the Marlies in the playoffs. His puck distribution on breakouts and in the O-zone was better than I remembered. He continued to be positionally sound and effective defensively. He had no trouble dealing with the faster and stronger pros, in fact the more structured AHL game looked easy for him to read. I wouldn't be shocked if once he gets into the Leafs lineup, he forces them to keep him there.

> **Zone Entry**: That’s right, I ranked Danford #3 and I’d do it again, y’hear?!? Part of that is it because all our sure-fire prospects are forwards, so Ben being the closest we have to that on defence makes him that much more valuable to the organization. That, and I have this gut feeling he will ultimately be a more valuable NHLer than Cowan (in a Danford-positive sense, not a Cowan-negative one).

> **Svalbard38**: Danford stepped into the AHL with surprising ease, and he could be in the NHL full-time within the next couple of years. In general I feel like his offense is better than the numbers suggest, and his defensive game held up pretty well against pros. I don’t see him as more than a #4 D, but you need a good #4 D, and hell, I’m no expert, maybe with Tanev’s guidance, Danford could be the next Tanev. Looking forward to seeing him push for a roster spot over the next couple of seasons.

Now it's time for all you commenters to chime in and let us know what you think of our top defense prospect!