Ben Danford will be a major pillar of the Toronto Maple Leafs‘ future and the 19-year-old defenceman recently spoke to TSN’s Mark Masters about numerous topics as his season concluded.

Danford captained the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League this season, posting five goals and 25 points in 61 regular season games, before adding two goals and five points in 21 playoff games. Oshawa lost to London in the OHL final for the second consecutive season, and Danford offered his reflections on his team’s season, taking on a larger role this season as one of the premier defenders in the league.

“Individually and as a team, we had lows and highs throughout the whole year,” Danford said to Masters. “At the end of the day, we came short of our end goal, winning the championship. I’m really proud of the group and know what we accomplished, but it’s a tough pill to swallow at the end of the day for sure, going to back-to-back (OHL) finals and losing both times.”

Danford has developed a reputation as a punishing open-ice hitter who is most comfortable operating as a true stay-at-home defenceman. Toronto’s 2024 first-round pick will need to continue to improve, as he rises through the organization’s ranks, and while it’s unlikely he’ll make the NHL next fall, his continued development is essential for the future of the Maple Leafs.

“I worked on defensive play and that’s obviously, you know, the strongest attribute of my game. I thought I got better that way. I got more physical. I wanted to bring that component to my game. And offensively, you know, maybe my points weren’t what I was looking for, but I was really happy throughout the whole season with my 200-foot game.”

Easton Cowan and the London Knights are actively competing for the Memorial Cup, which could’ve been a sore topic for Danford, but he raved about the Leafs’ top-ranked forward, and is looking forward to building his friendship with him off the ice.

“He’s a phenomenal player,” Danford said of Cowan. “He’s a hard player to defend for sure with just the way he sees the ice and the confidence he has with the puck. He makes everyone around him better as well. He had a great series, and I wished him the best at the Memorial Cup.”

Cowan and Danford are the Maple Leafs’ most recent first-round picks and share some characteristics, perhaps offering a tell: both players were late risers in their draft years and ascended through draft boards, while most scouts and insiders thought the Leafs went off the board to select both players ahead of their consensus ranking. It’s clear that tenacity, passion and a 200-foot game are core components of what the Leafs are looking for, as Cowan and Danford headline the team’s prospect pool entering the summer.