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1st round pick Ben Danford identifies the first Maple Leaf to reach out to him

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Mike Armenti
July 24, 2024 (12:56)

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Photo credit: Natalie Shaver/OHL Images

The Maple Leafs' first round draft pick, Ben Danford, has officially revealed who the first Leaf to reach out to him on draft day was.

Looking back at the draft, I think many are still stunned that the Leafs took a bit of a reach to draft Danford well ahead of where he was ranked, with most having viewed him as a mid-second round talent. However, Danford always knew there was a strong possibility that he'd be heading to Toronto. He just didn't know for sure whether that would be in the first round.

Danford joined Nick Alberga and Jay Rosehill on Leafs Morning Take this week and spoke about the draft and what an honour it was to be selected by the Leafs with the 31st overall pick in the draft.

"[The Leafs] mentioned they were quite interested in me. I talked to them a lot, especially after the season ended, at the combine and other places as well. They seemed very interested.

Obviously, I've been a Leafs fan my whole life and found it something that was really cool to go through. I didn't want to get my hopes up too high, but it worked out really well."

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Even though he had been in contact with the Leafs a number of times since the end of the season, and sort of had a sense that the Leafs wanted him, when former Director of Amateur Scouting Wes Clark called his name, he was in instant shock.

"Honestly, the second he (Wes Clark) called my name, I kind of blacked out a little bit. I think my whole family was in a little bit of a shock,» Danford explained. «We're from a small town so getting drafted on the big stage, especially in the first round, was pretty surreal for my whole family. I mean yeah, I kind of blacked out going down the stairs; my legs felt like Jell-O. It was kind of hard getting around there but no, it was good."

In terms of who the first Leaf to reach out to him was, Danford revealed that it was captain John Tavares, who has often gone out of his way to ensure that rookies have felt welcomed and well-looked-after under his watch in Toronto. Danford really appreciated it.

"That connection of both playing for Oshawa, the best organization in junior hockey. It's pretty cool to get a text from a guy like that (Tavares), such a high-character guy and such a great player, it meant a lot."

It will likely still be a few years before we see Danford in the National Hockey League, and Tavares may have even moved on before Danford ever gets a chance to make his NHL debut, but nevertheless, it's something that the yound defenseman will remember for the rest of his life.

Source: The Leafs Nation on YouTubehttps://youtu.be/H04baX6Gid0?si=D_k0g72yxiu2rgmL

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24 JUILLET \| 880 ANSWERS 1st round pick Ben Danford identifies the first Maple Leaf to reach out to him Do you think John Tavares will still be a Leaf after this coming season?
Yes	369	41.9 %
No	310	35.2 %
If he is, it had better be on a cheap deal	201	22.8 %
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