Ben Danford Wants The Leafs Job - And He Plays The Hard Way

Danford is leaning into the kind of game coaches usually love and fans usually notice after the puck drops. He says he takes pride in the dirty work, and that mentality is exactly how young players start climbing an NHL depth chart. The bigger story is his goal of making the Maple Leafs roster in 2026-27, which means this is not just about development but about a real push for a seat at the table. In Toronto, that kind of mindset can get you noticed fast, even if the path is anything but easy.