A key member of the Toronto Maple Leafs' future is currently sidelined.
Top defence prospect Ben Danford has a broken wrist and is considered week-to-week, Toronto Marlies head coach Steve Sullivan told reporters.
Danford suffered the broken wrist during a Nov. 4 win over the Hamilton Hammers when he blocked a pass.
The 20-year-old is in his first full AHL season, after joining the Marlies for the 2026 playoffs en route to a Calder Cup. He finished his OHL career last season, after four years split between the Oshawa Generals and Brantford Bulldogs.
Danford totalled 99 points in 233 OHL regular-season games and 19 points in 60 playoff contests.
The Maple Leafs' No. 31 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft had a goal and two assists during the Marlies' playoff run last year, but has taken on a much bigger role this year. Danford is playing top-pair minutes in 2026-27 and has four assists in 11 games.
“(Danford) is playing 25-plus minutes a night,” Sullivan said per The Athletic's Joshua Kloke. “So the reps that he’s getting are outstanding. He’s progressing as we would hope to.”
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