Top Maple Leafs draft pick Ben Danford reveals his weaknesses

PUBLICATION

Tyler Ball
July 20, 2024 (5:32 PM)

SHARE THIS STORY

Today in a new interview Toronto Maple Leafs first-round pick Ben Danford revealed what weaknesses he plans to work on for the upcoming season.

The Toronto Maple Leafs entered the 2024 NHL Draft for the first time with a full year of Brad Treliving in charge. This meant the scouting and what to look for were all laid out the way they needed to be.

As a result, the Maple Leafs made their first-round pick and selected Ben Danford.

Since being picked by the Toronto Maple Leafs he has already made his debut for the Maple Leafs during their Development Camp skates. Recently he spoke with Dave McCarthy about growing up as a Maple Leafs fan and modeling his game after Jake Muzzin.

I've been a Leafs fan my whole life and I've watched him and definitely looked up to him, so to get to know him and learn from him, it's really special.
-Danford in an interview with NHL.com's Dave McCarthy

Ben Danford then went on to talk about what he has learned throughout the development camp. According to his comments a lot of focus seems to be on blocking shots and being in the right places to defend properly.

Blocking shots, just doing little things, the normal people watching games on television don't see those little things that help your teammates succeed. I feel like that's a huge part of the game, blocking shots, getting bumps on guys, little things like that they've really harped so far at development camp.

Even though a lot of the focus has been on the defensive side of the game Ben Danford revealed he is hoping to take his biggest jumps next season in the offensive end of the rink.

Ben Danford reveals what he wants to improve most this season

During the interview, Ben Danford was asked about what he's looking forward to working on this season. He confirmed he is hoping to open up the offensive side of his game.

His skating and IQ were used in a more defensive way last season that he is hoping translates to more offensive success.

I feel like with my skating ability and hockey IQ, (my offense) is something I can definitely improve on. There's a great development staff here that definitely know what they're doing, some of the best in the world so with them behind me, I should be going in the right direction for sure.

This was something that the coaching staff from Development Camp noted as well. Ben Danford's skating ability and willingness to jump up in the play were the highlight of his time during Maple Leafs Development Camp.

Wickenheiser on Danford: "He made some really nice plays & jumped in the rush. Nice assist on the goal. His offensive upside might be better than what he's shown statistically. You can see that & he moves really well. Watching him off the ice, a good athlete"

With Ben Danford being the first pick for the Maple Leafs under a fully led and controlled staff by Brad Treliving he will be a key development project for the success or failure of Brad Treliving's tenure as the General Manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Source: Maple Leafs Daily
Ben Danford reveals how he can help the Maple Leafs, where he needs to improve