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Ben Danford Poised to Crack Maple Leafs Roster in 2026-27
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* Sullivan Sees Danford’s Potential
* Danford’s Debut Should Still Come in 2026-27
* Danford Start in the AHL Controls His Fate
It’s safe to say the Toronto Maple Leafs officially have a logjam on the blue line heading into the 2026-27 season. While it isn’t a bad thing for the team, it does pose one obstacle for a defensive prospect looking to make his presence felt within the organization this season – Ben Danford.
The 20-year-old officially made the jump to the American Hockey League with the Toronto Marlies last season and helped the team to their Calder Cup win, but is looking to take another step in his development this season and potentially land in the NHL at some point.
Ben Danford, Toronto Marlies (Photo credit: “TheAHL, CC BY 4.0)
That said, with Emil Andrae and Troy Stetcher currently fighting for the sixth spot on the back end and the addition of Nick Blankenburg on a professional try-out, the chances of Danford opening the season with the big club are slim – at least for now. However, his promotion could be right around the corner, according to former Maple Leafs assistant coach and Marlies head coach Steve Sullivan.
## Sullivan Sees Danford’s Potential
Having made the jump to the Marlies last season, Danford played 16 games during the team’s championship run. All of them came in the playoffs against stiff competition and stronger opponents in comparison to his OHL opposition.
For the most part, Danford stood up to the test. He showed glimpses of offensive production with three points during the run, but also demonstrated his physical presence on the road to the Calder Cup. While it was a short 16-game run, Danford did get some good reps with the Marlies – a challenge for the young defender highlighted by the Marlies new coach.
“I don’t think it’s his age (20),” said Sullivan, “but he’s gotten those deep (AHL) reps he needed against really big guys. He doesn’t need much, it’s whether there’s room and can he be better than the sixth (D) on the Leafs.”
As it stands, there isn’t room on the Maple Leafs back end as previously outlined. So, for the time being, it’ll come down to Danford’s ability to turn the heads of the team’s coaching staff. But the logjam is probably deeper than he can overcome. So what does that mean?
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## Danford’s Debut Should Still Come in 2026-27
While the team is overloaded on defence, the rule of thumb is that you never have enough depth on the back end – especially when it comes to playoff hockey. As we saw with the Maple Leafs last season injuries happen and the team needs to be able to fill the holes when they do.
Ben Danford, Toronto Maple Leafs (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)
While his transition to the NHL and how it plays out remains to be seen, Danford has all but solidified his place in the Maple Leafs depth lineage on the backend for injury replacement – likely meaning that we will see him at the NHL level at some point during the 2026-27 season.
Outside of Andrae and Stetcher, currently fighting for that sixth spot, Blankenburg will make his presence known in camp. Beyond that, William Villeneuve and Danford will be on the shortlist for the first call-ups of the season.
## Danford Start in the AHL Controls His Fate
Ultimately, it will come down to how each of them starts this season in the AHL. Villeneuve, 24, has more experience and is coming off a 30-point campaign with the Marlies. With Danford, on the other hand, the coaching staff from both the Marlies and Maple Leafs will be keeping a close eye on the young prospect.
How he transitions to the AHL will play a major role in his road to the NHL roster. From all accounts, the team is high on Danford’s development. If he can come in and carry the same level of physicality and production that he played with in the OHL, it won’t be long before we see Danford with the big club. In fact, there’s no doubt that if he can come in with that calibre of play that he will see some NHL time during the 2026-27 season.
After all, with the Calder Cup now under his belt, Danford could add that winning pedigree to a team looking to make that next big jump beyond the first or second round in the playoffs.
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