BEN DANFORD

2024-12-14

Scout: Austin Kelly

Skating:

Danford is a decent skater. Nothing to write home about but he's an above-averge skater with good mobility and skating speed. Good motor to his footwork and solid backwards skating ability.

Passing/Handling:

Decent playmaker. Danford has a good eye for his teammates and spots open chances quite well. It seems like a bit of an underrated facet of Danford's game that he's a solid passer and puck-mover, but shows the extent of Danford's vision he displays in his defensive game.

Shooting:

It's hard to determine Danford's shooting ability because he just doesn't use it much. It's no surprise he only scored one goal last season because his game is so focused on defense and pushing the puck upwards, he doesn't make time to create offense for himself. Coaches will love it, if he can back up the rest of his game as decent. His focus just isn't on offensive creation, even on the PP.

IQ (Vision, Anticipation, Panic/Poise):

Danford has a strong IQ. His defensive IQ and positional awareness are things to rave about but one thing that's easy to not notice is that Danford also has strong playmaking vision, something that can be ignored somewhat by the fact his game is so defensively responsible. It's rare to see Danford make a mistake because his composure is quite strong. He's not pro-ready yet, but he has a pro-ready style of play.

Forechecking:

Defense:

Danford is one of the best defenders in the OHL, and one of the top pure defensive defensemen prospects. He was drafted in the first round on the merits of his defense being advanced. A naturally aware and controlled defender who works hard protecting his end each shift. Not flashy, but he does his job right.

Best Asset:

Danford has mature defensive awareness and IQ and is a proven leader on the ice. He plays a competent and controlled game in his own end and is good at stopping pucks and keeping intensity on opponents.

Biggest Concern:

Danford lacks much of an impactful offensive game. Some players can do well an be competent NHLers with just defense, but it doesn't seem Danford has any dominant skills that may make him a top-four defenseman unless it's a team that really needs a shutdown player. Oshawa is a good offensive team, and currently Danford is on pace to regress in points despite a greater opportunity this season. While offense isn't everything, you at least need it in juniors to make it to the pros, it's rare to be a junior level one-dimensional D at either side and have it translate without a high-end tool, and Danford doesn't seem to have one.

Top Tier/Role Potential:

The likelihood of Danford lighting up the scoresheet is unlikely, so no expectation he'll be a hot commodity in fantasy leagues, unless in a league where defensive value exists. Upside looks to be a 3/4D. He's not much of a goalscorer so points may be a bit lacking unless he can rack up assists. Potential upside of a 25-30 point scorer perhaps, maybe 35 at best if he can use his shot more.

Justification for Top Tier Assessment:

This is predicated on the idea of Danford's offense taking a step. If he can add more creativity to his game, he could be a passing defenseman who eats minutes, somebody like Jake McCabe. Adding more on the offensive side would make Danford valuable as there's little left to season into his defense.

50th Percentile Tier/Role:

50th percentile player for Danford is a third pairing defender who on a weaker team could contend to be 4/5D. Possible 15-20 point scorer who has value in large fantasy leagues.

Justification for 50th Percentile Tier Assessment:

The offense just isn't there and it needs to be. If his offense even takes a small jump, he could be a potential 20 point scorer. Not flashy but the defense is translatable and should get the job done, but there's a lot of players in the pros who can defend, so with an offensive boost, Danford could be just above a replacement level player.

Stylistic Comparable:

Right-handed Jake McCabe

Scouts Final Thoughts and Additional Stats/Info:

Oshawa recently made a coaching chance, naming Brad Malone as the new head coach. Malone was a solid goalscorer in his pro career and hopefully can teach Danford some tricks in generating some self-producing offense to elevate his game to look like a sure NHLer.

Games Scouted:

Oshawa Generls vs Peterborough 12/12/24