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“It was super frustrating,” Danford says. “It was tough. A very long process to get back on the ice … Definitely not the way I wanted to spend my training camp.”

But things took a turn for the better when he returned to the Generals and was told he would be his team’s next captain. Oshawa interim head coach Brad Malone says it was an easy decision.

“He leads on and off the ice and does the little things that help the team win on a nightly basis,” Malone says. “He’s the epitome of what it means to be a captain.”

Leafs general manager Brad Treliving has a type when it comes to defence prospects: big, gritty, smart and highly competitive. Danford, six-foot-two with a blue-collar background, fits the bill. That’s why Treliving selected him 31st in the 2024 NHL draft.

“I like to think of myself as a gamer,” Danford says. “I block shots and sacrifice … That’s what my coaches brought upon me, and I fell in love with it.”

Danford was a Leafs fan growing up in Madoc, Ont., halfway between Ottawa and Toronto, and his favourite player was Phil Kessel, though his own style of play couldn’t be more different. He revels in shutting down the opposition’s top scorers and isn’t afraid to get physical in the process.

“A lot of minor hockey kids want to get the offence going,” the 19-year-old Danford says. “The thing that will get me to the next level is my defensive play and I need to keep building that. It’s my foundation.”

Danford has been doing that with the Generals. Whenever the other team’s top forwards hop over the boards, Malone sends Danford out to meet them.

“He never steers away from blocking a shot or doing the hard thing,” Malone says. “Sometimes the simple thing isn’t the sexiest thing, but his willingness to do what’s right … is not for show. It’s who he is as a player.

“I think it was a great decision by (the Leafs) … to find a player like Ben at the bottom of the first round. Him being in their lineup in two or three years isn’t far-fetched for me.”

Malone believes his captain can be a shutdown defenceman. The Leafs seem to have the same faith; they surprised many — the Danford family included — by selecting him in the first round.

Most mock drafts had Danford going in the second round, but the Leafs didn’t own a second-round pick. They had the 23rd selection in the first round, and were the only team the defenceman had talked to after arriving for the June draft in Las Vegas.

The Danford family, who have been Leafs fans for generations, sat in quiet anticipation while each pick was announced. As the Leafs’ slot neared, the team traded the 23rd pick to the Anaheim Ducks for No. 31 and a second-round selection.

“We weren’t really thinking about the first (round),” Danford’s father, Al, says. “We were thinking, OK, pc28����picked up a second-rounder. We were hoping … maybe that was a possibility.”

But with the 31st pick, Wes Clark, then the Leafs’ director of amateur scouting, announced Danford’s name.

“Definitely a day I’ll never forget in my life, that’s for sure,” Danford says.

The surreal moments have only continued. Former Leafs captain John Tavares invited Danford and others to his lakeside Muskoka cottage in the summer, where mornings were spent on skates and afternoons on the pickleball court. Danford was star-struck when he first arrived at the cottage. Then the reality settled in. This was his life now, too.

“It’s pretty nuts,” he says. “To think back to me as a 10-year-old kid, this is the greatest thing ever.”

Danford needed some time to shake off the rust when he returned from his concussion four games into Oshawa’s season. He says his play was inconsistent early on, but he has found his rhythm.

He has five goals, 16 assists and 53 penalty minutes in 53 games with Oshawa and, more importantly to him, his team is winning. The Generals entered Thursday’s games tied atop the Eastern Conference and Danford’s coach credits him for leading them there.

“I can’t emphasize enough how difficult of a job it is,” Malone says. “He’s carrying a lot on his shoulders and he’s handled that very well.”

With 10 games left to go in the regular season and OHL playoffs looming, Danford says his goal now is to try his best to lead the Generals to a Memorial Cup, no matter what it takes.

“I’ll do anything for my team to win,” he says.