TORONTO -- Easton Cowan was clear and concise in articulating his mindset for when he arrives at his second Toronto Maple Leafs training camp in September.
“I want to make the team," said the 19-year-old forward, selected by the Maple Leafs with the No. 28 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. "That’s always been my goal.”
It may sound lofty, but for Cowan, it's a very reasonable expectation. He very nearly did it last season, when he was one of Toronto's final cuts, sticking with the team until Oct. 11, the morning of its regular season opener.
“I want to play in the NHL one day and I’m feeling very confident,” Cowan said at Maple Leafs development camp earlier this month. “I just have to come into camp, be a very reliable player, someone the coach can trust. I just have to learn game management a bit better and I think I’ll be good.”
“I just want to show that I’ve gotten better since last camp. I’ve learned a lot last year, learned a lot through the year with Leafs camp and in London there.”
After returning to London of the Ontario Hockey League last season, Cowan had 96 points (34 goals, 62 assists) in 54 games, tied for sixth in scoring in the league, and was the leading scorer in the OHL playoffs with 34 points (10 goals, 24 assists) in 18 games, helping lead London to the league title. Cowan received the Red Tilson Trophy as most valuable player during the regular season, was named to the OHL and CHL First All-Star Team and earned the Wayne Gretzky 99 Award for playoff MVP.
Did his season for the ages surprise even the Maple Leafs?
“I think it would be fair to say that early on but as we got to know Easton and we got a chance to be around him every day, I would say that nothing he does surprises me,” Toronto assistant general manager, player development Dr. Hayley Wickenheiser said.
“He’s a really special kid, very driven. He’s got a great motor on the ice but even off the ice, he’s extremely fit, hard-working and he has a high self-belief, which I think you need to make it to the highest level.”
In the OHL Final, Cowan had 15 points (three goals, 12 assists) in four games, helping London sweep Oshawa and earn a berth in the Memorial Cup.
“I think (showing so well during training camp) helped me a lot, having the confidence that I could keep up with the big guys, that really helped me a lot in the OHL,” Cowan said.
Defenseman Ben Danford, taken by the Maple Leafs with the No. 31 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, faced Cowan regularly with Oshawa during the OHL Final.
“He’s a good guy,” Danford said. “On the ice we might go at it a little bit but so far he’s been a great guy. ... He’s definitely a game changer. He won MVP in the playoffs so he’s definitely a difference maker, a great player.”
Since his first development camp last season, Cowan, who also represented Canada at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship with two points (one goal, one assist) in five games, said he feels he has improved most significantly on the mental side of the game.
“Just like not letting the last shift get to you,” Cowan said. “I felt like in my draft year, I was letting it get to me a bit too much and felt like I saw some steps this year where I was just kind of moving on and playing with confidence each and every shift, which really helped me.”
If Cowan is going to accomplish his goal of making Toronto roster out of training camp, Wickenheiser said showing he is a sound defensive player will be paramount.
“I think he’s going to make a push,” Wickenheiser said. “He’s proven everybody wrong at every level so I don’t put it past him. He’s going to have to come into camp and really, the defensive aspect of the game will be key for him to be able to check and stay up with the pace of the play, not just the offensive side of the game, but he’s very close.
"It will be exciting to watch.”
