Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Ben Danford and Team Canada enjoyed a successful start to the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship in Minnesota. Skating on the team’s third defense pair alongside Kashawn Aitcheson, the 19-year-old is competing in his first World Juniors.
Toronto’s 2024 first-round pick (31st overall) picked up an assist and logged 17:43 of ice time in Canada’s 7-5 victory over Czechia to open Group ‘B’ action. There will be a significant spotlight on Danford throughout the tournament to gauge his progress this season. A strong showing for Canada could go a long way in determining where Danford stacks up in the Toronto organization next year.
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Danford has already faced a busy season in the OHL; after spending his first three seasons with the Oshawa Generals, he was traded to the Brantford Bulldogs eight games into this year. He has since recorded a goal and 11 assists in 15 games with Brantford.
The Maple Leafs have only two players represented at this year’s tournament. In addition to Danford, Victor Johansson made Team Sweden’s roster. Johansson was a relatively unknown prospect when the Maple Leafs selected him in the fourth round (120th overall) of the 2024 NHL Draft. He has spent a portion of this season playing for Leksands of the Swedish Hockey League.
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However, Johansson did not take part in Sweden’s first group matchup—a 3-2 win against Slovakia—as he was scratched for the game. While the team gave no specific reason for the scratch, the Swedish club is very deep and expected to be one of the tournament favourites to emerge from Group ‘A’.