As the game gets faster and the average skill level of players climbs, the demands for a shutdown defenceman have increased. 

Successful shutdown defencemen are rarely just good at inside the defensive zone. Now, they have to kill rushes in the neutral zone, make plays on retrievals, and successfully limit board battles with skilled breakouts.

The Toronto Maple Leafs bet on Ben Danford being one of those modern shutdown defencemen, making him the No. 31 overall pick last month – a full round higher than his average ranking. 

Here at Elite Prospects, we ranked Danford as the No. 30 prospect in the draft, as well as the third-best shutdown defenceman, largely because of his uniquely versatile defensive game. There's not a single weak point in that part of his profile at this stage, and he has a lot more to give on the offensive side. 

So, let's take a look at the ways – big and small – Danford impacts the game.