Mike Danton

Early Life and Junior Career

Michael Sage Jefferson was born on October 21, 1980, in Brampton, Ontario, and his early hockey development took place within the Toronto minor system. He played for the Toronto Young Nationals, participating in the prestigious 1994 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament, a common event for future talent. His junior career began in the 1996-97 season with the Quinte Hawks of the Metro Junior A Hockey League, where he first came under the influence of coach David Frost. Danton then advanced to the Ontario Hockey League, playing for the Sarnia Sting, Toronto St. Michael's Majors, and finally the Barrie Colts from 1997 to 2000. His time with the Barrie Colts included a trip to the 2000 Memorial Cup, where his competitive fire led to a public incident involving future NHL star Brad Richards. Danton commented that Richards would not last five games in the OHL and later refused to shake Richards' hand after Richards was named the tournament's most valuable player. This period was also marked by a deepening estrangement from his birth family, a process that coincided with his increasing reliance on and connection to David Frost, who had moved from being his coach to a dominant figure in his life.

NHL Career and the Name Change

The New Jersey Devils selected Mike Jefferson 135th overall in the fifth round of the 2000 NHL Entry Draft. He made his professional debut within the Devils organization, but his tenure was brief and marked by conflict. Danton feuded with the team's veteran general manager, Lou Lamoriello, and was suspended by the club, actions that prompted his trade to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for a third-round draft pick. It was during this period of transition that he legally changed his surname from Jefferson to Danton. He admitted he adopted the surname "Danton" from the name of a 13-year-old boy he had met at David Frost's hockey camp, stating the name sounded "cool". This legal change was a personal symbol of his complete break from his family. With the Blues in the 2003-04 season, Danton found a more regular role as a grinding left winger, appearing in 68 games and contributing to the team's playoff push.

Criminal Conviction and Imprisonment

On April 16, 2004, FBI agents arrested Mike Danton at his St. Louis apartment and charged him with conspiracy to commit murder. The criminal complaint alleged he had attempted to hire a hitman, who was in reality a police dispatcher, to kill his agent, David Frost. On July 16, 2004, Danton appeared before U.S. District Judge William Stiehl and pleaded guilty to the charge. He was sentenced to seven and a half years in a federal prison. Throughout the legal process, Frost denied he was the intended target, and in a 2011 interview with ESPN, Danton claimed his estranged father, Steve Jefferson, was the actual target. The case attracted intense media scrutiny in Canada, amplified by a November 2005 CBC The Fifth Estate documentary titled "Rogue Agent". The documentary explored Frost's controlling relationship with Danton, including how Frost encouraged Danton to estrange himself from his parents. It also featured a taped telephone call from Danton to Frost after the arrest, in which Frost instructed Danton to plead guilty and ended the conversation by demanding Danton say "I love you," which Danton did. In an unrelated legal matter, Frost was charged in 2006 with 12 counts of sexual exploitation related to his time coaching the Quinte Hawks. He was acquitted of all charges on November 28, 2008. Danton served 63 months of his sentence, initially at FCI Sandstone before being transferred to the Pittsburgh Institution in Joyceville, Ontario, in March 2009. The United States Bureau of Prisons granted the transfer, and under Canadian law, Danton became eligible for parole, which was granted on September 11, 2009. Strict conditions of his parole included no contact with his father and no face-to-face meetings with David Frost.

Post-Prison University Career and Academic Achievement

During his imprisonment, Danton began rebuilding his life through education, taking university correspondence courses offered by Queen's University. Upon his release on parole, he applied and was accepted to Saint Mary's University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, enrolling for the January 2010 winter semester. He joined the Saint Mary's Huskies varsity men's hockey team, marking his return to competitive hockey. On January 27, 2010, Danton played in his first game since his release, scoring a goal for the Huskies in a 4-1 loss to the Acadia Axemen at the Halifax Forum. He continued to play for the Huskies throughout the semester, and on March 28, 2010, the team defeated the Alberta Golden Bears in Thunder Bay, Ontario, to win the 2010 University Cup national championship. Academically, Danton excelled, achieving a grade point average of 3.9 over the winter and spring semesters as well as summer school. His study ethic was notable, with media reports noting he often stayed in the Saint Mary's Patrick Power Library until 11 p.m. each night. On October 4, 2010, Canadian Interuniversity Sport named Danton an Academic All-Canadian, an honour awarded to student-athletes who achieve a GPA of 3.7 or higher. This period was a definitive chapter of personal redemption, demonstrating his commitment to excelling in both athletics and academics after his release from prison.

Professional Hockey Comeback in Europe

After his successful university season, Mike Danton resumed his professional hockey career in Europe in 2011. He signed with the Swedish Division 1 club IFK Ore for the 2011-12 season, where he was named team captain. His journey then took him to clubs in Austria, Slovakia, Kazakhstan, Romania, and Poland over the next several years. Danton played for seven different professional clubs in six countries during this phase of his career.

• IFK Ore (Sweden, 2011-12): Signed July 28, 2011, named team captain, saved a teammate's life on September 18, 2011, and scored 41 points in 27 games.
• Orli Znojmo (Austria, 2011-12): Joined the EBEL club on December 17, 2011, after Ore failed to qualify for the spring series.
• Kramfors-Alliansen (Sweden, 2012-13): Signed September 29, 2012, to a one-year contract in Swedish Division 1.
• HC ’05 Banská Bystrica (Slovakia, 2013): Signed a contract on January 9, 2013, to play in the Slovak Extraliga.
• Beibarys Atyrau (Kazakhstan, 2013) & HSC Csíkszereda (Romania, 2013): Started the 2013-14 season in Kazakhstan before moving to Romania after a contract dispute.
• Ciarko PBS Bank KH Sanok (Poland, 2014 to 2016): Signed January 24, 2014, won the Polish Hockey League playoff championship in 2013-14, and played three seasons.
• Rivière-du-Loup 3L (Canada, 2016-17): Returned to North America for his final professional season in the LNAH before retiring.

This globetrotting phase illustrated his ability to contribute as a leader and scorer. In his first season with IFK Ore in Sweden, he scored 41 points in 27 games. He later signed with Ciarko PBS Bank KH Sanok in the Polish Hockey League. With Sanok, Mike Danton won the 2013-14 playoff championship. He re-signed with Sanok for the following two seasons before the team encountered financial difficulty.

Life After Hockey and the David Frost Context

Since retiring from professional play, Mike Danton has built a life centred on family, advanced education, and mentoring young athletes. He is a father of three, a graduate of Saint Mary's University, and as of recent updates, a current master of science degree candidate. He operates the Mike Danton Hockey Academy in Halifax, which runs summer hockey camps and mini-camps for youth players. His personal narrative remains deeply intertwined with the figure of David Frost, whose documented history provides critical context. Frost's disciplinary record began during the 1996-97 season while coaching the Quinte Hawks, where he pleaded guilty to punching one of his own players in the face during a playoff game and received a conditional discharge. In the same period, the Metro Toronto Hockey League suspended him for forging a general manager's signature. Despite this record, no governing body intervened to prevent Frost from continuing to coach young players or later becoming a certified NHL agent representing his former charges, including Danton. This institutional failure allowed Frost to maintain a controlling role in Danton's life from childhood through his NHL career. The 2006 sexual exploitation charges against Frost, which involved allegations from his coaching tenure and resulted in a 2008 acquittal, further exposed what the trial judge described as a dark and unhealthy side of hockey culture. Danton's guilty plea in the murder-for-hire plot ultimately brought intense public and media scrutiny to this previously unchecked dynamic between a coach-agent and his player.

Career Statistics and Key Legal and Personal Timeline

Mike Danton's story is defined by specific dates and events. He was born Michael Jefferson on October 21, 1980. He was drafted by the New Jersey Devils in 2000 and played for the St. Louis Blues in the 2003-04 season. Danton was arrested on April 16, 2004, and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder on July 16, 2004. He was released on parole on September 11, 2009, after serving 63 months in prison.

1. October 21, 1980: Born Michael Sage Jefferson in Brampton, Ontario.
2. 1996-97 Season: Begins junior hockey with the Quinte Hawks under coach David Frost.
3. 2000 NHL Entry Draft: Selected 135th overall by the New Jersey Devils.
4. 2002: Legally changes surname from Jefferson to Danton.
5. April 16, 2004: Arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit murder.
6. September 11, 2009: Released on parole after 63 months served.
7. March 28, 2010: Wins the University Cup with Saint Mary's Huskies.
8. October 4, 2010: Named an Academic All-Canadian by Canadian Interuniversity Sport.
9. 2013-14 Season: Wins Polish Hockey League championship with KH Sanok.
10. 2016-17 Season: Plays final professional season for Rivière-du-Loup 3L before retirement.

His on-ice statistics reveal two distinct phases. In contrast, his 2011-12 season with IFK Ore in the Swedish third tier was highly productive. That season, he scored 16 goals and 25 assists for 41 points in just 27 games. This indicated his offensive capabilities in a central scoring role.

Questions about Mike Danton

Who is David Frost and what was his relationship to Danton?

David Frost was Mike Danton's junior hockey coach with the Quinte Hawks and later became his NHL agent. Their relationship was intensely close and controlling, leading to Danton's estrangement from his family. Frost was the target of Danton's 2004 murder-for-hire plot. Frost had a prior disciplinary record from his coaching days and was acquitted of separate sexual exploitation charges in 2008.

What was Mike Danton convicted of?

Mike Danton was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder. He pleaded guilty in July 2004 to attempting to hire a hitman, who was actually a police dispatcher, to murder his agent, David Frost. He was sentenced by a United States federal judge to seven and a half years in prison. Danton was released on parole on September 11, 2009, after serving 63 months of his original 90 month sentence. In a 2011 interview, he later claimed his original target was his estranged father, Steve Jefferson, though Frost denies being the intended target.

Did Mike Danton play in the NHL?

Yes, Mike Danton played in the National Hockey League. He was selected 135th overall by the New Jersey Devils in the 2000 NHL entry draft. He also played for the St. Louis Blues, who traded a draft pick to New Jersey to obtain him. Danton played 68 games for the Blues during the 2003-04 season. His NHL career spanned from 2000 to 2004, ending when he was arrested two days after the Blues were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs in April 2004.

Where did Mike Danton play hockey after prison?

After prison, Mike Danton played university hockey for the Saint Mary's Huskies, winning the 2010 University Cup. He then resumed his professional career in Europe, starting with IFK Ore in Sweden's Division 1 in 2011, where he was made team captain. He subsequently played for clubs in Austria, Slovakia, Kazakhstan, Romania, and Poland, winning a playoff championship with KH Sanok in the Polish Hockey League. He finished his career with Rivière-du-Loup 3L in the LNAH.

What is Mike Danton doing now?

Mike Danton is now a retired professional hockey player. He is a father of three and a graduate of Saint Mary's University, where he was named an Academic All Canadian. He is currently a master of science candidate. Danton runs the Mike Danton Hockey Academy in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he organizes and coaches youth hockey camps and development programs for young players.

Sources and further reading

• Mike Danton (Wikipedia)
• Mike Danton, David Frost: The Oversight Gap Explained (clutchjustice.com)

Checked by the Garbutt Disposal desk. Last updated 2026-10-26.