Ontario junior hockey team trade captain and Toronto Maple Leaf pick in blockbuster 14-player deal

With the season not shaping to be one the two-time defending conference champion Oshawa Generals will do any playoff damage, changes were inevitable.

That the first big change to drop was the trading of their captain was not shocking, but still a blow to the Generals faithful, as well as Ben Danford himself.

“It is hard to put into words what my time with the Gens has meant to me. I can’t imagine starting my junior career with any other club,” said Danford, a first round pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs who impressed at this year’s NHL camp. “They are just an incredible group of human beings from top to bottom. The memories that they and the city of Oshawa gave me will last a lifetime. Thank you, GensNation.”

The club traded Danford, along with Zack Sandhu, to the Brantford Bulldogs for a trio of players and a whopping nine draft picks.

Coming the other way in the trade is ’08-born forward Aiden O’Donnell, ’04 defenceman Lucas Moore and ’07 defenceman Luca Diplacido, along with three prized second-round picks, three third-round picks, two fourth-round picks and a tenth-round pick.

Danford, an Oshawa Generals first-round draft selection in 2022 from Madoc, Ontario, was the 72nd captain in organization history and has played 196 games for the team, along with 47 playoff games, helping lead them to back-to-back Bobby Orr Trophies.

Sandhu was acquired from the Guelph Storm during the 2023-24 season, playing 106 games as a General, along with 41 playoff games.

“It doesn’t matter how many times you go through this; it never gets easier,” said Generals’ General Manger Roger Hunt. “Both Ben and Zack have been incredible people and players for this franchise. They were part of back-to-back Bobby Orr Trophies and played in two OHL Finals. Without them both, we wouldn’t have done that.”

Ben Danford – a Boy at Leafs Camp

Coming back the other way, the Generals are receiving O’Donnell, a Brantford Bulldogs first-round pick in 2024 who collected 17 points in 58 games, including seven goals last season and has eight points in 14 games already this year; as well as Moore, an overage defenseman who has spent his entire OHL career with the Bulldogs organization, suiting up in 247 regular-season games, which will help a young team as the season progresses.

The final player involved in the trade is Cornell University commit Luca Diplacido. Currently playing at St. Andrews College, the defenceman played one regular season game and 11 playoff games for the Brantford Bulldogs last season.

The nine draft picks coming to Oshawa are second-round picks in 2026 (Ottawa), 2027 (Kingston) and 2028 (their own); third-round picks in 2028 (Sudbury), 2029 (Guelph) and 2029 (Brampton); fourth-round picks in 2026 (Brantford) and 2029 (Brantford) ad tenth-round pick in 2027 (Barrie).

“The other side of it is we know we have to retool and bring in players and picks that are going to help us return to that level again,” Hunt added. “Aiden, Lucas and Luca have experienced OHL playoff success of their own, and I am thrilled to have them as part of the Gens. I know our fans have expectations, as does the club. Not the start we wanted, but lots of work to do with some new faces in the lineup. Time to get excited to be a General.”

Danford and Sandhu will not have to wait long to make their return to Oshawa as the Generals take on the Bulldogs at the Tribute Centre on November 7. Oshawa hosts the Soo Greyhounds this weekend on Country Night.

Ben Danford and Zack Sandhu