Maple Leafs’ first-round pick injured by teammate at training camp!
His head took most of the impact…
The Toronto Maple Leafs have found in first-round pick Ben Danford exactly when they have been missing on the blue line. However on Thursday, it was Danford himself who went missing from action when he left the rookie camp scrimmage after taking a big hit.
The 18-yeard-old defenseman got hit hard near the boards in the corner and unfortunately, his head took most of the impact. Danford eventually got up and was assessed for a head injury on the bench and then skated off for the dressing room.
After the scrimmage, Toronto Marlies head coach John Gruden gave an update on Danford, though he did admit he did not get a good look at the hit..
“He’s being evaluated right now. Hopefully he’ll be OK,” Gruden said.
It was this past June that Danford was selected 31st overall by the Maple Leafs in the 2024 NHL Draft. He played last season with the Ontario Hockey League’s Oshawa Generals, scoring one goal with 33 points in 64 games and helped the team to an OHL Championship Series appearance. The promising prospect has also recorded five goals and 54 points in two seasons with the Generals, a total of 127 career OHL games. Healso played for Canada at the 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, appearing in five games en route to a gold medal.
His injury comes as a blow to the team’s defensive depth and their preparations for the upcoming 2024-25 NHL season. Although the exact nature and severity of the injury have not been fully disclosed, the Maple Leafs are expected to provide updates as further evaluations are completed.
