Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Ben Danford left Thursday’s practice after suffering an awkward hit near the boards. Danford did not return to the session, as the Maple Leafs’ rookies prepare for the upcoming Prospects Showcase slated for Saturday and Sunday against the Montreal Canadiens.

Danford was Toronto’s first-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, selected No. 31 overall. He skated off the ice under his own power after being evaluated for a head injury.

TSN’s Mark Masters captured the incident at practice:

Marshall Finnie of the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings delivered the hit on Danford.

“He’s being evaluated right now. Hopefully he’ll be OK,” Maple Leafs prospects head coach John Gruden said of Danford via TSN’s Mark Masters. Gruden regularly works as the head coach of the AHL’s Toronto Marlies and is overseeing the prospects team for the duration of the week.

Gruden told reporters that he didn’t see the hit and indicated that Finnie feels bad about what occurred.

It’s unclear at the time of this filing whether Danford will play Saturday or Sunday against the Canadiens, but his status will almost certainly be updated imminently.

Danford was lauded for his defensive skills, rush defence and ascending offence during the draft process, showing significant improve offensively during the latter half of the 2023-24 campaign with the OHL’s Oshawa Generals. Toronto traded back from the No. 23 to No. 31 pick in order to select Danford, who was clearly Brad Treliving and Wes Clark’s (who joined the Pittsburgh Penguins shortly after the draft) top target throughout the process. Danford was paired with Noah Chadwick, one of the organization’s rising stars, throughout the week.

During the summer development camp held in July, Danford aced the first impression test and Maple Leafs assistant general manager Hayley Wickenheiser spoke glowingly about his offensive upside and his ability to enter the rush.