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鈥淚t’s kind of crazy to think that I’m here to get a hockey card made for me,鈥� Danford said in a phone interview. 鈥� When I was a kid, you dream of that kind of thing.鈥�

Danford, the captain of the Oshawa Generals, collected a few cards growing up, though 鈥渘othing crazy.鈥�

He and the other prospects also went through some tutorials Thursday with the NHL Players’ Association, which has experts to discuss how to be a pro, how to watch your finances, how to handle pressure and other educational workshops for their lives ahead.

The real work toward making that dream come true begins next week when Danford and his fellow Leafs prospects assemble for rookie camp to prepare for a showcase tournament in Montreal.

The defenceman chosen 31st in the 2024 NHL draft was concussed in a practice for that rookie tournament last year and missed all of what should have been his first pro training camp.

鈥淭hat was something really tough to go through,鈥� Danford said. 鈥淚’ve never really been out for that length of time, especially getting injured at a time like that, around training camp, it was pretty tough.鈥�

If nothing else, it taught him a lesson.

鈥淛ust don’t take anything for granted. There’s guys out there that their job is to play hard. You always have to be aware of that and you can’t put yourself in those kind of situations.鈥�

Presuming he makes it through the Montreal tournament, Danford should join the main Leafs camp. He has already gotten to know current Leafs blueliners Morgan Rielly and Chris Tanev.

鈥淚t was really cool skating with Tanev and Rielly,鈥� Danford said. 鈥淚’ll watch what they do and follow them and look up to them. I’ve looked up to them for quite a while now.鈥�

Another big presence for Danford over the summer was defensive development coach Jake Muzzin.

鈥淗e’s a pretty straight shooter, which is great,鈥� Danford said. 鈥淗e doesn’t beat around the bush at all. So if you’re doing something good, he’ll let you know. But if you’re not doing something good, he’ll also let you know.

鈥淚’ve been really lucky to be working with him. He’s helped me a lot. He’s obviously had a really successful NHL career and won a (Stanley) Cup. We get along really well. So it’s all good.鈥�

The six-foot-two, 195-pound聽Danford had five goals and 20 assists in 61 games for the Generals last season. Not eye-popping numbers, but he’s not an offence-first kind of defenceman. He’s more in the Muzzin and Tanev mould.

鈥淚’m a defence-first kind of guy. Just keep things simple. Don’t overdo it,鈥� Danford said. 鈥淚 can (increase) my offensive touches a bit more, shoot the puck more聽鈥� and be a bit more confident on the blue line in the offensive zone. But the foundation I have right now is the defensive side of things. So I just have to keep working on that.鈥�

The world, for 19-year-old hockey players like Danford, shifted over the summer with a new memorandum of understanding that added four years to the NHL-NHLPA collective bargaining agreement.

For one thing, players from major junior teams are now welcome to play in the American college system, with anachronistic rules about amateur status now scrapped. For another, the NHL is working toward allowing each team to send one 19-year-old to the AHL to develop on the top farm team rather than in junior.

Danford definitely is not going to college, and will most likely return to the Generals for a fourth season. But, for now, he’s simply looking forward to his first full, and healthy, Leafs training camp.

鈥淟ast training camp, I obviously didn’t get the full experience, getting injured early,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o, this training camp, we are just going in with an open mindset聽鈥� try to put my best foot forward, play with confidence and do my thing. Get in some pre-season games, hopefully. I’ll just see what happens.鈥�