Brad Treliving reveals why the Maple Leafs selected Ben Danford at 31st overall
Photo credit: TSN
Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving revealed after night one of the NHL Entry Draft that Ben Danford was always going to be their first round pick.
The Leafs shocked fans twice during the first round of the NHL entry draft last night. First they traded the 23rd overall pick to the Anaheim Ducks for picks 31 and 58 when many thought the Leafs would select highly-touted defensive prospect Stian Solberg, who the Ducks ended up selecting. The second shocker came when they went "off the board", according to many, when they selected Ben Danford in the first round.
Following the first night of the draft festivities, Treliving was asked about the trade and selection of Danford.
"We think he's a real intelligent player, a real competitive guy, right-shot defenseman. He's a guy that our staff was really focused in on. That's why we traded down. We thought we could slide down and hopefully [have] the availability to get him later, as we did. But, you know, lots of intangibles, high character kid, moves really well, he's just sort of scratching the surface for what he could be. Right-shot defenseman, hard to find."
The Leafs shocked many last year when they selected Easton Cowan 28th overall when many had him outside the first round and the early returns have been phenomenal. In selecting the 6'1, 194-pound Danford, the Leafs are hoping for the same type of return for the second year in a row.
Without a pick in until the fourth round following Friday's first round, the deal made sense for the Leafs and head scout Wes Clark, who likes to throw as many darts at the board as possible. Acquiring the second-rounder allows him and the Leafs to throw one more dart at the board in the hopes of landing another potential Matthew Knies, who was selected with the 57th pick back in 2021.
Source: Elite Prospects
Ben Danford player profile
Ben Danford player profile
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JUIN 29 | 502 ANSWERS Brad Treliving reveals why the Maple Leafs selected Ben Danford at 31st overall How happy are you with the Leafs selecting Ben Danford? | ||
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