Future Considerations: How Leafs prospect Easton Cowan has stepped up

Major junior hockey is in its final week of regular season, meaning some prospects will be competing in the playoffs while others regroup and begin their off-season journey towards next season.

This time of year is an important time for NHL player development departments. Teams are keen to see how some of their top prospects perform at the hardest time of the year.

With this, I've also been tracking some of the Canadian NHL teams' top prospects throughout the year and, recently, provided an updated report on Montreal prospect David Reinbacher as he joined the AHL's Laval Rocket.

And we won't stop there.

On Wednesday this week, I had an opportunity to sit down over Zoom with Toronto’s top prospect Easton Cowan. Cowan’s overall game has gone to another level playing for the London Knights this season and he’s currently riding a franchise record 34-game point streak with two regular season games left on Friday and Sunday. The Knights can also clinch first place in the OHL this weekend.

Here’s part of my Q&A with Cowan, followed by my updated scouting report supported by game clips:

Q&A WITH EASTON COWAN

Jason Bukala: Let’s reflect on last season and the momentum you gained heading towards the 2023 entry draft in Nashville. You had a fantastic second half of the year last season, which continued into training camp with the Leafs and the entire year in London this season. What’s clicked for you? What changed mid-way through the year last year?

Easton Cowan: Yeah, I had a good second half last year. I felt I got better throughout the year. I played a lot in the playoffs and capitalized on my opportunities. I learned a lot from our older guys, how they work every day and prepare for games. It sucked that we lost in the final to Peterborough, but I feel like it’s going to be good for us this year. Our returnees don’t want to feel that way again, and we have to teach our young guys that it’s not a good feeling. I feel like we have learned a lot as a team and it should be good for us this time around in playoffs because we don’t want to feel that way again.

JB: The team is lucky to have the support it does in London, playing in front of 9,000 fans every night. It’s a world class venue and atmosphere for your group. What’s it like carrying the responsibility of being a London Knight and playing for an organization that expects to win every year?

EC: Yeah, we have a lot of people who support the organization in the city. I feel like London is the Toronto of the OHL. There’s a lot of media attention around here and everyone knows who you are, so you have to carry yourself well and represent the organization the right way all the time.

JB: Looking back on the draft, and being selected 28^th overall by Toronto, take me back to that day. How many friends and family did you have in attendance in Nashville? What did it mean to you personally?

EC: It was really cool. I had roughly 20 family members and friends in Nashville. To hear my name called by Toronto was awesome. I wanted to go to Toronto and to have them pick me in the first round was really special to me and my family. I’m glad everyone was there to experience the moment with me. Obviously, some people love that pick and some people don’t. Anything you do in life there’s going to be lovers and haters. I can’t change that. I’m just going to keep doing my thing and that’s working hard to be a hockey player.

JB: What was your takeaway from your world juniors experience in Sweden playing for Team Canada? What did you learn about yourself that you tried to bring back to London with you in the second half of the season?

EC: The world juniors was a great experience. I obviously met a lot of people. Playing for coach Letang (Sarnia Sting head coach Alan Letang) was a great experience as well. He’s a great coach and I really enjoyed playing for him. I felt like I proved to myself and to others that I can play a depth role in the lineup. I was used in a third and fourth line energy role. It’s important for me to show I can be used in a variety of situations because that’s what’s going to make me a better pro at the NHL level. Coming back to London, I play quite a bit in every situation. Having the mindset I can play in any situation and help the team win has been huge for me this year.

JB: One of my takeaways with you and some of your teammates in London is the amount of preparation and execution that goes into your game. Is it something you have been working on throughout the year? Game prepping? Game planning? Be ready to play consistent every night?

EC: Absolutely. I’m fortunate to work with the development team in Toronto. I’m in touch with them regularly. We’re fortunate, in London, to have access to mental coaches as well. I feel like it's really helped me get in the right mindset every day to perform at my highest level in practices and games. I’m taking advantage of being able to talk to everyone in Toronto and London.

JB: Let’s end things talking about your point streak. Growing up in the area and seeing players like Corey Perry, Patrick Kane, Dave Bolland – and others – come through here, it must be a proud badge of honour to now own the longest point streak in London Knights history.

EC: Yeah, it’s been really cool, obviously a lot of great players come through here and a lot of them have had great NHL careers. But I wouldn’t be able to accomplish that without the support of my family and friends and awesome teammates here in London. No matter who you are playing with each and every night here they can see the ice. They’ve got the hockey sense. They work hard and they’re coachable. I’m really happy with the team we have and respect every player in the room. I feel like we have a chance to go on a long run again this year in the playoffs.

SCOUTING REPORT AND NHL PROJECTION FOR EASTON COWAN

The most impressive thing about Cowan’s game, year over year, has been his ability to maintain momentum and keep moving forward. He earned the trust of Knights head coach Dale Hunter last season and it’s carried into this season.

Cowan logs a ton of ice time in all situations. His pace on and off the puck stands out at the OHL level. He displays an extra gear off the rush, makes plays coming off the half wall when he steps to open space quicker than opponents, and goes to the crease looking for pucks.

One of the most impressive things about Cowan’s game this season has been his proven ability to match up against top lines and defence pairings every night and still produce offence without sacrificing his defensive responsibilities.

Every developing prospect has their moments and sequences in games where they can play with more detail, whether it's protecting the puck in high danger areas or monitoring their fatigue with shift lengths, for example. Cowan is no exception, but on balance he plays the game the right way every night.

Here are some examples of what I’m describing about Cowan’s game...

This first clip encapsulates Cowan’s approach in the offensive zone. He starts the sequence at the net front. As the play moves down the boards, Cowan absorbs contact below the goal line to extend the play. He then jumps to a loose puck ahead of his opponent along the half wall and works the puck to the top of the zone. When the play spills down the wall yet again, notice his body positioning as he creates space to make a pass to the middle of the ice that leads to a goal for the Knights.

The second clip again shows how Cowan creates turnovers that lead to scoring chances. He pursues the play and ends up stripping the puck off the Kitchener Rangers forward before skating in for the tuck.

Protecting a lead late in games is something Cowan takes pride in. He does more than provide offence, too. This next clip is a simple example of Cowan fronting the shooter and blocking a shot with less than three minutes left a game.

The final clip occurs in overtime. Cowan sees an opportunity to attack from high in the offensive zone in the extra frame. The puck didn’t go in the net, but his route to try and score the game winner speaks for itself.

NHL Projection: Second line forward. Better than secondary scorer. Deployed in all situations.