A day after exiting a scrimmage on Thursday with a suspected head injury, Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Ben Danford has been ruled out for the 2024 Prosect Showdown in Montreal.
John Gruden says Ben Danford is still being evaluated and will not be available for the rookie showdown this weekend.
— David Alter (@dalter) September 13, 2024
During a scrimmage, Danford took an awkward hit along the boards delivered by free-agent invitee Marshall Finnie, which left him down on the ice in discomfort. Danford was able to leave the ice on his own power but did not appear for the rest of the day as he was being evaluated for a possible head injury.
Marlies coach John Gruden, who is overseeing the Prospect Showdown, spoke with reporters after the hit and told them that Danford was being evaluated. While he wasn’t able to get a good view of the hit dished by Finnie, Gruden said “I know he feels bad and hopefully Danford’s OK.”
The next day, Danford was not present at rookie camp practice, a worrying sign that the injury was more severe than previously thought. Those fears were realized when Gruden confirmed that the 18-year-old blueliner was still being evaluated and would be forced to miss the Prospect Showdown this weekend.
Considering he was one of the standouts included on the Leafs roster for this mini-tournament, this is a tough setback for the 31st overall pick of the 2024 NHL Draft. Especially given he was paired up alongside a fellow promising defensive prospect in Noah Chadwick throughout rookie camp and that Danford was getting plenty of high praise for his performances since joining the organization.
“I really like Ben’s game,” assistant GM Hayley Wickenheiser said when assessing Danford during summer camp. “He made some really nice plays in the game and jumped in the rush. Nice assist on the goal. His offensive upside might be better than what he has shown statistically. You can see that. He moves really well. Watching him off the ice, I see that he is a good athlete as well. He made a good impression on everyone this week. He had a good camp.”
Danford is coming off a productive draft year with the Oshawa Generals, where he recorded 33 points (a goal and 32 assists) in 64 games played. He later added 10 points (four goals and six assists) in 21 playoff games before losing to Easton Cowan and the London Knights in the OHL Finals.
While it is unclear at the time of filing how long Danford will be out for, it would be an even tougher blow if it ended up keeping him out long enough to miss out on his first NHL camp which is fast approaching.
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