Story by Paul Svoboda.
A homegrown product and a kid with local connections will be among the NHL’s top prospects vying for rookie roles as big-league training camps open in two weeks.
Madoc native and Toronto Maple Leafs 2024 first-round draft pick Ben Danford and fellow ’24 first-rounder Cole Beaudoin — whose mother, the former Jackie Lambert, grew up in Belleville — will be among those under the microscope. Beaudoin, originally a Utah Mammoth draft pick, saw his NHL rights swapped to the New York Rangers during the off-season as part of the Vincent Trocheck trade package.
Both players — Danford, a defenceman; Beaudoin, a forward — are coming off outstanding Major Junior careers. Plus, after his OHL club was eliminated from the playoffs, Danford joined the AHL Toronto Marlies for their run to the 2025-26 Calder Cup championship.
Writing for Leafs Nation, Toronto hockey reporter Jon Steitzer said Danford was more than just an extra butt on the bench during the Marlies championship drive. But was it enough to earn a spot on the big team in the fall?
“Making a case for Danford being a Maple Leaf would be a dream situation and a big ask to make the leap from junior without a taste of the AHL,” writes Steitzer. “But a solid 16-game run with the Marlies during the playoffs might be enough. I’m not sure he’s ready, but he might make a case for learning on the job.”
Fellow NHL writer Gregory Babinski says Danford will be “a hot topic” at the Leaf camp.
“There’s a lot to like about his upside and the Leafs are in a strong position not to force him into the NHL before he’s ready,” says Babinski. “A likely outcome is Danford spends the season as one of the Marlies top defencemen and is deployed in high-leverage defensive situations.”
As for Beaudoin, Yahoo Sports hockey writer Kenneth Teape says he is “the most intriguing asset” among the incoming pieces for the Rangers as part of the Trochek trade.
“It’s Beaudoin who will determine if this was a winning trade for new York,” says Teape. “He certainly has plenty of positive momentum from the 2025-26 campaign when he dominated the OHL with the Barrie Colts.”
No kidding. Last winter, Beaudoin went back to Barrie and put up career-high numbers in the regular season before leading the OHL in playoff scoring. Plus, he produced seven points in seven games for Team Canada at the WJC.
Still, Teape sees Beaudoin starting the upcoming season with the Rangers top AHL farm club in Hartford.
“It’s a timeline that makes sense,” says Teape. “Right now, there’s no clear-cut spot for him in the Rangers lineup.”
That said, I’m betting Beaudoin’s grandfather, Dalton Lambert of Belleville, has already replaced his Utah Mammoth souvenir jersey with the red, white and blue of the Rangers.
DIAMOND IN THE DESERT
Jack Ricketts, whose father, John, played for the Tier II Belleville Bulls when they went to the national championship in Halifax in 1981, has signed a one-year AHL contract with the Tucson Roadrunners, the top farm club of the NHL Utah Mammoth.
Following a sterling NCAA Div 1 career, the six-foot-two forward turned pro last year in the ECHL and was promoted to the AHL at mid-season. On the team website, Roadrunners GM John Ferguson said Ricketts earned his new contract.
“Jack proved last season he could play and contribute at the AHL level,” said Ferguson. “We look for continued improvement this season.”
