Ben Danford was thrilled to receive congratulatory text from John Tavares

Ben Danford has been a lifelong Toronto Maple Leafs fan and his literal dream came true when he was selected 31st overall in the 2024 NHL Draft. Danford was a standout defensive presence for the Oshawa Generals and it’s clear that getting to play his hometown team added an extra level of motivation.

The entire Danford family was elated on June 28 upon being chosen by the Maple Leafs. Ben’s mother, Lesley Danford, told the Maple Leafs’ social team that she provided the NHL with a photo of Ben rocking a Maple Leafs-imprinted soother as a baby. Al Danford told the video team that he’s been a lifelong Maple Leafs fan, with Ben’s two older sisters rocking jerseys.

Ben exclaimed that he got a text from Maple Leafs captain John Tavares, which was the cherry on top of his proverbial draft day sundae.

“It was really cool. He’s such a high-character guy and such a high-calibre player, so to get a text from him means a lot. I took it to heart,” Danford told TSN’s Mark Masters.

Now that’s what you’d call leadership! Danford has marvelled about being a Maple Leafs and has cited Phil Kessel as his favourite player in an array of interviews. The awe and novelty that comes with being selected by your boyhood club will eventually wear off, but it was a beautiful moment for Danford and his family as his NHL career begins in earnest.

Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis indicated that Danford is much better offensively than his counting stats last season would lead on and he’s an impact defender in transition. It’s almost certain that Danford will return to Oshawa and dominate the OHL as one of the league’s best defenders — considering that Easton Cowan’s draft-plus-one season went as well as possible for the London Knights, Toronto is hoping that Danford proves to be the same 450-foot home run for Clark and his staff.

In any event, Danford has a bunch of cool memories to go through before training camp and will realize soon enough that Tavares is just another one of his teammates. For now, let Danford revel in the awe and joy of draft night.