Ben Danford is going a bit further away than the Maple Leafs’ back yard, but to a potentially better junior team to continue his NHL path.

On Thursday, the Oshawa Generals traded Toronto’s first-round pick in 2024 to the Brantford Bulldogs, with fellow defenceman Zackary Sandhu. Danford was a late camp cut of the Leafs. He had two long playoff runs with the Generals, but his team has been weakened by graduation to a degree and is near the bottom of the OHL standings.

Brantford, which beat Oshawa on the road 4-1 Sunday with Danford getting an assist, leads the league with a record of 11-0. The trade cost the Bulldogs in players and draft picks; defencemen Lucas Moore, Luca Diplacido and left winger Aiden O’Donnell and nine draft picks, including three second-rounders and three third-round

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