Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Ben Danford said he has looked up to defenceman Chris Tanev in terms of how he approaches the game on the backend.

During an appearance on Leafs Morning Take with Nick Alberga and Jay Rosehill on Friday, Danford said he has valued having Tanev be part of the organization and being able to pick his brain in terms of how to play a more sound shutdown game.

“He is someone who blocks a lot of shots, plays the right way, has a really good first pass,” he said.  “ That was someone going through the draft process last year that I kind of looked up to and saw comparisons in our game on what maybe I could be at the next level.  For him to be in Toronto now and for me to get to meet him at training camp and stuff.  He’s really cool and really down-to-earth guy, and I hope to learn some stuff off him hopefully soon.”

Tanev is certainly a good choice for Danford to model his game after, since the former has been a difference maker on the backend and one of the reasons why the Leafs were more stingy defensively than in recent years. The 19-year-old sure seems to play like a younger version of the veteran defenceman while also taking pride in being reliable at both ends of the ice.

Danford felt he took steps in rounding out his 200-foot game this season with the Oshawa Generals and was proud of what his team accomplished despite falling to Easton Cowan and the London Knights in the OHL Finals. He also got to grow as a leader, given that he was named captain at the start of the season.

“ I feel like I’m someone who’s a leader by example,” he said. “Right when I came into the OHL, I was buying into doing anything for the team to win: blocking shots, playing the right way, whatever the coaches needed kind of thing.  So I feel like that kind of had something to do with me getting that honour of being named captain, especially an organization like Oshawa. We had plenty of leaders in our room. And to lead a group of guys like that, we had a really tight group. It was really fun and it was really, uh, surreal to get named and to have that kind of honour.”

He has always been a competitive person who will do whatever it takes to get his team the win, either through putting his body on the line or getting involved in scraps. Danford also tries to play the game hard but fair, never having any malicious intent when he goes for a big body check and staying within the lines of what is legal.

Getting insight from the likes of Tanev and Jake Muzzin, both of whom played the game in a similar way to how Danford wishes to, will be integral to his ascention into the NHL. That includes how to prepare for his first proper training camp since he was unable to participate last fall due to an injury.

“ Watching the training camp and just watching at the next level how strong, fast, watching them compete in practice, it was an eye-opener for me,” he said. “ It’s a stereotypical answer, but this summer it’s just you gotta get bigger and faster and stronger.  Just keep maturing that way. So I have to have a really big summer and make sure I’m that much better for next season.”

You can watch the full interview with Danford below: