Danford, Johansson set to represent Maple Leafs at world juniors

This is your time to shine, Ben Danford and Victor Johansson.

The Maple Leafs’ history with the world junior hockey championship is deep, and 19 players on the current roster, whether as Leafs prospects or of other teams, took part in the annual tournament before embarking on their respective National Hockey League careers.

Starting on Boxing Day in Minnesota, Leafs prospects Danford and Johansson will add a blue and white hue to the world juniors.

For Canada, Danford, the Leafs’ first-round pick in 2024 (31st overall), will play a shutdown role. The 19-year-old Brantford Bulldogs defenceman checks all of the crucial boxes in the D-zone.

Mark Hunter, a member of the national junior team management group, told us recently that Danford reminds him of Leafs defenceman Chris Tanev. It’s quite the compliment, and gives Leafs Nation an idea of what Danford could potentially provide once he cracks the NHL roster.

Johansson also was selected by the Leafs in 2024, 120th overall, in the fourth round. He primarily has spent the 2025-26 season with Oskarshamn IK in Sweden’s second league, though he has appeared in two games with Leksands IF in the Swedish Hockey League. While he might not project as highly as Danford, Johansson is mobile, gladly engages in puck battles and can play with some bite in his game. He likely will be a bottom-pairing defenceman for Sweden.

Of the current Leafs, only a few more than a handful — goalie Dennis Hildeby, defencemen Troy Stecher, Simon Benoit, Dakota Mermis and Tanev and forwards Dakota Joshua, Bobby McMann and Steven Lorentz — didn’t wear their nation’s colours at the world juniors.

Danford and the Canadians open on Friday night against Czechia; Johansson and the Swedes get going against Slovakia earlier in the day.

Danford and Johansson could meet in the gold-medal game, as Canada and Sweden are among the favourites.

Some Leafs enjoyed the pinnacle of success on the biggest stage for junior-aged players; others, not so much.

ON TOP OF THE WORLD

– After helping Canada win gold in 2008 when he had five points in seven games in the Czech Republic, centre John Tavares dominated at the 2009 event in Ottawa.

Playing for former Leafs coach Pat Quinn, Tavares was second in scoring for Canada with 15 points (eight goals and seven assists) in six games and was named tournament MVP.

Tavares had a hand in one of the biggest goals in Canada’s history at the world juniors, digging the puck out along the boards and assisting on Jordan Eberle’s tying goal in the dying seconds of the semifinal against Russia. Canada beat Russia in a shootout before crushing Sweden to win gold for the fifth year in a row.

– Not only was Max Domi part of one the best Canada teams in the history of the tournament, he played a starring role as the Canadians marched to gold in Montreal and Toronto, where Canada beat Russia 5-4 in a gold-medal thriller.

Domi had five goals and five assists in seven games and was one of three Canada forwards, along with a couple of guys named Connor McDavid and Sam Reinhart, named to the all-star team. Domi also was named the best forward by the IIHF.

– One of defenceman Jake McCabe’s biggest moments in his hockey career came in Ufa, Russia, at the 2013 event.

Serving as the United States captain — on a team that included Johnny Gaudreau, J.T. Miller, Jacob Trouba and Seth Jones — McCabe had six points in seven games and was named to the tournament all-star team as the U.S. won its third world-junior gold.

– Goaltender Joseph Woll has a pair of medals — a gold and a bronze — from his two turns on the world-junior stage with the U.S.

In 2017 in Montreal, Woll was the backup to Tyler Parsons and watched from the bench as the U.S. beat Canada 5-4 in a shootout to win gold. On the Canada side that year were future Leafs teammates Nicolas Roy and Philippe Myers.

Woll won both of his starts and posted a nifty .935 save percentage.

A year later in Buffalo, Woll was in net for three wins by the Americans, who were backstopped to a bronze-medal victory against the Czech Republic by Jake Oettinger and Jeremy Swayman.

– Oliver Ekman-Larsson tied for the lead among Swedish defencemen in 2010 with five points, helping his country take bronze in an 11-4 win against Switzerland in Saskatoon.

– Defenceman Henry Thrun skated for the U.S. in 2021 in the bubble in Edmonton and had one assist in seven games as the Americans won their fifth gold, beating Canada 2-0 for the title.

IT DIDN’T QUITE GO AS WELL

– At the same time McCabe was excelling for the Americans in Ufa, Morgan Rielly played on a Canada team that wildly underachieved and finished fourth.

After losing to the U.S. in the semifinals, Canada lost 6-5 in overtime to Russia in the bronze-medal game on a goal by Valeri Nichushkin.

Despite a roster that included Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Jonathan Huberdeau, Mark Scheifele and a young Nathan MacKinnon, Canada couldn’t get on the same page in the frigid Russia cold. Rielly had a goal and two assists in six games.

– Auston Matthews and William Nylander would have crossed paths in the bronze-medal game in 2016 had Nylander not suffered an injury earlier in the tournament. Matthews and the U.S. came out on top with an 8-3 win against Sweden in Helsinki. Oddly, Matthews didn’t have a point in the game despite the score, though he did tie Matthew Tkachuk for the U.S. team scoring lead. Both had 11 points in seven games.

The bronze was the only world-junior medal won by either Matthews or Nylander.

In 2015, Matthews had three points in five games. The U.S. lost to Russia in the quarters to finish fifth.

Nylander led Sweden in scoring in ’15 with 10 points in seven games, including a goal in the bronze-medal game against Slovakia. It wasn’t enough as Sweden lost 4-2 to end in fourth place.

Among Matthews’ teammates in both years was future Leafs pal Brandon Carlo. The defenceman scored a goal in the win over Sweden for bronze.

– Scott Laughton, like Rielly, has just a fourth-place finish to show for his only world-junior experience.

A year after Canada crashed in Ufa, Laughton was the captain as the Canadians lost 2-1 in the bronze-medal game to Russia in Malmo, Sweden.

Laughton had one assist in seven games and was part of a roster that included McDavid, Reinhart, Anthony Mantha, Bo Horvat and future Leafs forward Frederik Gauthier.

– Easton Cowan could very well have a productive NHL career and look back on it fondly once his playing days are done.

He might frown when he remembers his overall world-junior experience.

In two tournaments — last winter and in 2024 — Cowan played in a total of 10 games for Canada and had two goals and three assists.

Two years ago in Gothenburg, Sweden, it was a fifth-place finish for Canada after it lost to Czechia 3-2 in the quarterfinals.

And it was fifth again last year in Ottawa, when Czechia again prevailed in the quarters, beating Canada 5-4.

tkoshan@postmedia.com

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