As part of our Maple Leafs coverage at the Toronto Sun, we’re keeping tabs on the club’s prospects, checking in on a weekly basis with the Leafs’ hopefuls across the hockey landscape.
Today, we talk to defencemen Ben Danford of the Brantford Bulldogs and Noah Chadwick of the Toronto Marlies.
GO GET THAT TITLE
Danford has some pertinent business to help take care of as his career in the Ontario Hockey League winds down.
Twice an OHL championship series finalist with the Oshawa Generals, Danford has legitimate sights on an OHL title with the Bulldogs. And, yes, he is drawing on the pain of losing in the final in the previous two years to the London Knights.
“Especially when you get to this time of year, you really think about it,” Danford told the Toronto Sun on Wednesday afternoon as the Bulldogs travelled north for a three-game swing through North Bay, Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie. “You think about how fun the playoffs are and everything, but how tough that pill is to swallow to be runner-up. There’s definitely a little more fire left in me.”
With less than two weeks remaining in the OHL regular season, the Bulldogs are the favourite to win once the post-season starts. They’re in first place overall in the 20-team league with 97 points (44-9-7-2) and have eight wins in their past 10 games.
“We’re starting to really click, and it’s good timing,” Danford said. “I think this squad can get it done.”
A championship, with a trip to the Memorial Cup in Kelowna at the end of May as the reward, would put a nice bow on Danford’s junior years. He’s likely bound for the Marlies in 2026-27 to start his pro career.
The Leafs’ first-round pick in 2024, widely viewed as the franchise’s top hope for the future not named Easton Cowan or Dennis Hildeby, Danford also draws some motivation from his world-junior experience with Canada this past winter in Minnesota.
Canada beat Finland to win bronze after it entered the tournament as a gold-medal favourite.
“It was tough, but we still got some hardware to bring home and I’ll never forget that for the rest of my life,” Danford said. “You dream of it as a kid, to put on that jersey with that crest on the front of it. It was a really cool experience overall.”
With the OHL playoffs around the corner, Danford — acquired by Brantford in a trade with Oshawa in October — sounds set.
“I feel pretty good about my game right now,” the Belleville native said. “I’m someone who gets trusted to play against the top lines of each team as much as I can. I take a lot of pride in that and I take more pride in not letting them score that scoring, for sure.
“I’m always trying to improve, but right now I’m set on playoffs and trying to win it.”
GAINING RESPECT
In his first season in the American Hockey League, Chadwick — the Leafs’ sixth-round pick in the 2023 draft — steadily has been earning the respect of his teammates.
“It’s hard coming in at his age (Chadwick turns 21 in May), but I think he has improved a lot,” said defenceman Matt Benning, Chadwick’s partner at times this season and a veteran of 465 NHL games. “You can see that he sees the ice really well. The poise is there. Those are some traits that you just can’t learn.
“He’s a minute-muncher. He’s out there in all situations. I think the future is bright for him. He has the brain to play in the NHL.”
Chadwick has been getting every opportunity to learn. Before the Marlies played in Syracuse against the Crunch on Wednesday night, Chadwick had suited up in 53 of the Marlies’ 56 games, the most among D-men on the team.
For the most part, he has not to worry about being scratched if mistakes are made.
“I don’t think I really had any expectations coming in (to the season),” Chadwick said. “It’s understanding when to make plays and when not to make plays, it’s a lot of situational things.
“The support is really good from guys, they’re in the right spots. It’s not easier (in the AHL), but it’s a little bit simpler in terms of structure. You know what your options are right away. That has been an adjustment.”
For a time last summer, Chadwick lived with Jake Muzzin, now a key member of the Leafs’ player development staff. Having Muzzin, Mark Giordano (a coaching advisor with the Marlies) and vets such as Benning and Dakota Mermis as sounding boards has been beneficial for Chadwick.
“They’re all good guys to lean on and learn from, asking questions, being a sponge a little bit in that regard,” Chadwick said. “I’m thankful to have them be able to help. They’re more than willing to chat about things and go over stuff. I appreciate that.”
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