Maple Leafs prospect Ben Danford had nothing but good things to say about his potential future Maple Leafs teammate after he learned of his NHL club winning the Draft Lottery last week.
Danford's potential future teammate in question is, of course, Gavin McKenna -- the presumptive No. 1 overall draft selection in the upcoming NHL draft this June and Ben Danford's teammate at the 2026 World Juniors on Team Canada.
""When it comes to skill, I don't know how much more you can get. Just the way he thinks the game -- hands, you know, his skating, shot, he's got everything going for him. And he's a great guy off the ice as well. So, I mean, if he was to come to Toronto, I'd be pretty happy with that for sure.""Ben Danford on Gavin McKenna
Danford and McKenna played seven games together as teammates at the 2026 World Junior Hockey Championship with Canada winning bronze. McKenna finished second in tournament scoring with 14, while Danford tallied one assist and played a major role in the team's penalty kill.
Danford, who was taken 31st overall by the Maple Leafs in the 2024 NHL Draft, has just recently joined the Toronto Marlies for their divisional final against the Cleveland Monster. Prior to his assignment to the AHL, he spent the year with the Brantford Bulldogs of the Ontario Hockey League after being traded from the Oshawa Generals in late October.
Danford's Bulldogs, who were favoured by most to win the OHL Champsionship, were bested by the Barrie Colts in the Eastern Conference Final in seven games after blowing a 3-1 series lead.
McKenna, meanwhile, spent the year at Penn State after making the move from the WHL. While he may have started the season slow, he certaintly picked things up post World Juniors and put together a great freshman season in the end. The Whitehorse, Yukon native put up 51 points in 35 games played, including a Penn State single season record of 36 assists.
The Toronto Maple Leafs will be the first team on the clock at the 2026 NHL Draft in Buffalo, New York on June 26th with a chance to select Gavin McKenna.
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