Columbus Blue Jackets forward Justin Danforth is making the most of another chance this season, skating toward a career year in the NHL.

Undrafted but undeterred, Danforth’s path to the NHL saw time in the OJHL, NCAA, ECHL, AHL, Finland and Russia. It all culminated in him earning a letter on his sweater this season, and the assistant captain is carving out his role with the Blue Jackets.

Danforth spent his teenage years with the OJHL’s Cobourg Cougars, racking up 57 goals and 84 assists for 141 points in 134 games from 2011-2013.

In his third full season with the Cougars, Danforth was a 20-year-old leader among the group, and Cobourg head coach Curtis Hodgins recalls him being a “great player and a first-rate human being.”

“He led by example,” Hodgins said of Danforth, whom we donned with an ‘A’ as an assistant captain. “He was a guy you just never had to worry about. You knew what he was gonna bring to the rink every single day – practice or game.”

During their one season together, the Cougars began the year with a 1-11-1-2 record, and Hodgins credited Danforth’s leadership and perseverance as a key piece to the team’s turnaround. Danforth went on to lead the team in scoring during a career year and helped the Cougars compile a 23-14-0-3 record over the final 40 games.

Cobourg snagged the eighth seed in the postseason but was upset by Trenton, the regular-season champion and No. 1 seed, with a four-game series sweep.

“I figured he had a good chance to be a real good collegiate player just because of how he skated,” Hodgins said, recognizing Danforth’s speed, strength and dynamic style.

Since the Cougars’ 1992-1993 inaugural season, Danforth sits 14th all-time in franchise goals and 12th in assists and points.

The Oshawa, Canada, native is one of seven Cobourg alumni to reach the NHL, a group led by three-time Stanley Cup champion Justin Williams.

“It’s a terrific story of perseverance, and it definitely couldn’t have happened to a better individual,” Hodgins concluded.

Sacred Heart University

Danforth followed through on Hodgins’ vision of him being a good collegiate player.

After his junior days, Danforth spent four years with Sacred Heart University (2013-2017), skating in 147 games for the Pioneers and collecting 42 goals and 124 points.

“Justin came here with an attack mindset in how he approached practice every day and how he approached school every day,” Sacred Heart head coach CJ Marottolo said.

Even years later, the impact Danforth had at Sacred Heart has not faded.

“It gives everyone [at Sacred Heart] a sense of pride,” Marottolo said of Danforth’s NHL career. “It wasn’t just our coaching staff, it was everybody involved at Sacred Heart that helped shape his values – his teachers, his advisors, his teammates.”

By the end of his collegiate career, Danforth wrapped up the 2016-2017 season with a goal and three points in three games with the ECHL’s Reading Royals, a scoreless game with the AHL’s Bridgeport Sound Tigers and two goals in five games with the AHL’s Rochester Americans.

Danforth’s undersized 5-foot-9, 181-pound frame seemed that much smaller at the professional level, but the tenacious and gritty winger pursued his dream.

A year later, Danforth was named the 2017-2018 ECHL Rookie of the Year. The then-24-year-old put up 28 goals and 59 points in 44 games with the Cincinnati Cyclones. He also had five points (two goals, three assists) across 15 games at the AHL level with the Americans.

European Tour

Despite the success, which culminated with a nod to the ECHL All-Rookie team and All-ECHL second team, Danforth continued to pursue his NHL dream and took another step in joining Lukko in Finland’s top league, Liiga.

Wherever the winger goes, jersey letters and awards follow.

During two years with Lukko, between 2018-2020, Danforth posted 45 goals and 112 points in 115 games. During his first Liiga season, he finished fifth on overall scoring.

The following year, he earned the Veli-Pekka Ketola Trophy as the league leading scorer, along with an all-star bid and Lasse Oksanen Trophy as the league MVP.

In the 2020-2021 campaign, Danforth signed with Vityaz Podolsk in the KHL, recording 23 goals and 55 points in 58 games to finish sixth in league scoring. At the end of the season, Danforth joined Team Canada en route to a gold medal at the World Championships.

Return To North America

Danforth returned to North America for the 2021-2022 season, where he signed a contract with the NHL’s Blue Jackets. A 45-game stint saw him record 10 goals and 14 points, which would pace him at 18 goals and 25 points over an 82-game season.

The transition saw Danforth spend eight games with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters, where he collected five points (two goals, three assists) in eight games, but the tenacious winger wrapped the season with five goals and seven points in his final 15 games with the Jackets, earning him a two-year contract extension.

Six games into his second season, Danforth underwent shoulder surgery for a torn labrum. During his short time, he was a positive possession player, physical and boasted a 15:2 ratio on takeaways to giveaways in his limited role.

So, it shouldn’t come to much surprise that after a long recovery, Danforth has earned a larger role with the Jackets for the 2023-2024 season.

“I think they value what he brings as a person and as a teammate,” Marottolo said. “He can play up and down that lineup. He’s playing now with some of the top players in the NHL. He’s playing with [Johnny] Gaudreau, he’s just so adaptable.”

"He's a good player. He's able to adjust. Whoever he's playing with, he's got the ability to push that line."

Paz speaks on the impact Justin Danforth brings to the first line.

🎥https://t.co/AT0huVM4FP@Ticketmaster | #CBJ pic.twitter.com/ivI5heIcj5

— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) January 2, 2024

Adaptability often is a quality of “locker room guys” or depth players, and it’s been part of Danforth repertoire since before shifting his life between Canada, Finland, Russia and the United States.

Danforth’s persistence and hard work continue to earn dividends, as he now sports yet another ‘A’ on his sweater as a recognized leader on a young Columbus team.

With nine goals and 18 points through 41 games – all at even-strength play – Danforth continues to grind every shift and bring a dedication to the two-way game every night.

“You just watch how he plays,” Marottolo said. “How can you not root for a guy like that?”

Have a question or a comment for Jacob Messing? You can find him on Twitter @Jacob_Messing.