The Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving explained why they drafted the defenseman Ben Danford with their 31st overall pick.
In the first round of the draft, the Maple Leafs agreed to trade his 23rd overall pick to the Anaheim Ducks for picks #31 and 58:
"The #leafs trade pick No. 23 to Anaheim for Nos. 31 and 58. Toronto adds a second-rounder."
Treliving and the Leafs decided to grab Ben Danford with that pick.
Following the draft, Treliving explained his decision to draft he defenseman born in Madoc, Ontario. He's a 6-foot-1, right-handed, intelligent and competitive player who brings a lot of character to a team.
"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."
In 2023-24, the defenseman scored 33 points in 64 games with the Oshawa Generals, and played a key role for his team in the playoffs.
More to come.
Source: Maple Leafs Daily
Brad Treliving reveals why the Maple Leafs selected Ben Danford at 31st overall
Brad Treliving reveals why the Maple Leafs selected Ben Danford at 31st overall
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