Craig Berube was impressed with Ben Danford in Maple Leafs preseason opener

Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube was impressed with the play of defenceman Ben Danford in the preseason opener win against the Ottawa Senators on Sunday afternoon.

It was Danford’s first-ever preseason as he didn’t participate last season due to an injury he suffered during the 2024 Prospect Showdown. While he didn’t register on the scoresheet, he made smart defensive reads and performed well in protecting his net from the opposition.

That’s why he was the first player Berube thought of when asked by reporters after the game which players stood out to the head coach.

“I thought Ben Danford played a good, solid hockey game,” he said. “It is not a flashy game by any means, but it is just about the first pass, defending well, and playing a hard game. He was pretty much mistake-free. It was impressive.”

Although Danford is almost certainly going to report back to the OHL before training camp ends, it’s still a good indicator of his development that an established NHL coach is impressed with his defensive game. Of course, the offence will need to follow suit to ensure he can remain a fixture down the line, but his play in his own end is a strong foundation to build off of.

Beyond Danford, Berube was pleased with the team playing sound hockey and exhibiting a competitive spirit against a Senators team that dressed all of its NHL regulars apart from Jake Sanderson.

“I thought our veteran guys — Kampf and Jarnkrok — did a good job of leading the way and playing the right way,” he said. “Easton Cowan was good tonight. He played a simple game. He did some good things out there. And Nick Robertson. All in all, I was pretty happy with the whole team.”

The majority of the roster that dressed on Sunday afternoon likely won’t factor into the NHL at all this season, but playing to the standard that the coaching staff expects of them ensures they can successfully slot in if needed. The NHL regulars were going to be the best players on the Leafs, but the Leafs also got goals from William Villeneuve and Matthew Barbolini, the latter of which was the game-winner.

If nothing else, the team showed their competitive spirit by getting involved in a massive scrum that started with Marshall Rifai laying a big hit on Ridly Greig before Rifai duked it out with Zack MacEwen.

“Yeah, it’s good. It’s good to see that the guys are getting in there for each other,” he said. “We were good tonight, which is good, and gotta be physical.  And then five guys on the ice that are together out there and stick up for each other, which was good to see  tonight.”