Prospect Info: 2023 1st Rd Selection - #28 OA (via BOS, WSH) - C, Easton Cowan [London Knights, OHL; [Height 5.11 -- Weight 185]

[robertmac43]

It will be interesting to see how he does at camp and early next year.

If we he ends up back in the O, London likely repeat as champions. The team around him will also be better than it was this year which is hard to believe.

 

[Peasy]

Depends how well he does in training camp.

The problem with him is he's small (smaller than Marner) and not AHL eligible. They might still send him back to junior to get more muscular. It wouldn't be the worst idea to call him up for the playoffs to save a year of his ELC.

Would only be able to bring him up if his team is eliminated and London will likely be a strong team again next year.

Also its not always bad for a team to have a young guy finish their elc earlier imo. Sometimes that means you can get em on a better 1st contract because they havent had as much time to break out yet.

 

[WTFMAN99]

Last night he played 1C and did pretty well with it.

That's probably the only benefit I can think of if he went back to the OHL, he play centre for a full year potentially, we do need centres.

 

[thusk]

Last night he played 1C and did pretty well with it.

That's probably the only benefit I can think of if he went back to the OHL, he play centre for a full year potentially, we do need centres.

even if he come back OHL to play center, i don't think he will ever be a real center in the NHL

So probably not worth it for Cowan to repeat at that level, right? He good enough to start the season with the Leafs with a good camp?

He was almost there last camp and now he still developping with a phenomenal season and playoff in OHL, memorial cup experience... no reason to believe he will not be in Toronto next year.

The same way i didn't had any oubt with marner with his draft+1years than he will be a leafs the next year. Its the same here with him. Its a player who can play as much in a top 6 than in a 4th line as energy player

 

[leafs in five]

it's a great hockey name. I hope he makes the team next year but they let him go to the WJC

 

[DarkKnight]

It’s hard to believe he went 28th and the Leafs went “off the board” with the pick. What a f***ing steal this kid!

 

[ULF_55]

Maybe he had a growth spurt...not hard to add 15 lbs in about a year...and some people could easily get more buffed than others.

That's less than 2 pounds a month.

For an 18-19 year old if they aren't putting on weight that might be a bigger issue.

 

[weems]

It's good to see a player get better as the series get more important.

In the first two series against Flint and Kitchener, he had 8pts in 8 games.

The final two series against Saginaw and Oshawa, he had 26pts in 10 games.

 

[ULF_55]

People saying “he needs to put on weight” might be the most overused statement for all prospects league wide. Sometimes it’s true, sometimes it’s simply a buzzword for “he isn’t in the NHL yet”

57 NHL players 180 lbs. and less played over 30 NHL games this past season.

27 NHL players 175 lbs. and less played over 30 NHL games this past season.

40 NHL players 180 lbs. and less played over 60 NHL games this past season.

 

[Atomos2]

It's good to see a player get better as the series get more important.

In the first two series against Flint and Kitchener, he had 8pts in 8 games.

The final two series against Saginaw and Oshawa, he had 26pts in 10 games.

Well with the Leafs' first round struggles, the first two series are probably more important than the final two. But Cowan was definitely on fire in the Championship series.

 

[Divine]

He's had a great season but don't want to rush the kid. Let him grow and develop into his body so he can play his game. In junior he actually engages in battles and fights for the puck. If he's rushed to the NHL and is pushed around, it'll hurt his development and possibly result in him changing his game. He might end up trying to be a finesse player because he's smaller but that's not his game.

 

[Sypher04]

Only 2 games in his last 54 played (regular season and playoffs combined) that he didn't register at least a point. That's insane.

 

[acrobaticgoalie]

How people still go on about players being undersized at 5'11 in today's NHL, I'll never understand. Every team has them. Some teams have several. Tampa won a few cups with 3 or 4 of them. It's becoming more and more common that D men are making the NHL at 5'11 or under as well.

Jack Hughes is is probably top 10 in the NHL right now and is a 1C at 5'11 and 175lbs.

Some people need to wake up and realize, it's not the 90s or early 2000s anymore

 

[CabanaBoy5]

How people still go on about players being undersized at 5'11 in today's NHL, I'll never understand. Every team has them. Some teams have several. Tampa won a few cups with 3 or 4 of them. It's becoming more and more common that D men are making the NHL at 5'11 or under as well.

Jack Hughes is is probably top 10 in the NHL right now and is a 1C at 5'11 and 175lbs.

Some people need to wake up and realize, it's not the 90s or early 2000s anymore

Couldn’t agree more. As Mark Twain said “it’s not the size of the dog in the fight but the size of the fight in the dog”. This kid has a terrific motor and isn’t afraid to get in the dirty areas. What he’s doing point-wise is remarkable. Can we just enjoy that we have a terrific prospect and not look for flaws all the time.

 

[Martin Skoula]

How people still go on about players being undersized at 5'11 in today's NHL, I'll never understand. Every team has them. Some teams have several. Tampa won a few cups with 3 or 4 of them. It's becoming more and more common that D men are making the NHL at 5'11 or under as well.

Jack Hughes is is probably top 10 in the NHL right now and is a 1C at 5'11 and 175lbs.

Some people need to wake up and realize, it's not the 90s or early 2000s anymore

Hughes isn’t the guy for this argument considering you can’t teach what he has. You can get to Acciari’s build in a couple solid offseasons and I don’t think anyone would call Acciari small. Hell, Tucker played at 175 or something didn’t he?

 

[acrobaticgoalie]

Hughes isn’t the guy for this argument considering you can’t teach what he has. You can get to Acciari’s build in a couple solid offseasons and I don’t think anyone would call Acciari small. Hell, Tucker played at 175 or something didn’t he?

I just think the whole height and weight argument these days is dumb. Plenty of smaller guys in the NHL that are smaller than Cowan. I used Hughes to show that he is smaller than Cowan and is excelling. Are they different types of players? Sure. At 185lbs, that's already a solid build at 18 and will likely be closer to Acciari's build in a few years. Cowan will have more skill and will likely develop his game to be able to create more space for himself.

Yep Tucker was smaller and fearless. Cowan seems to have a bit of that dawg in him and plays with a high motor. He was kind of a rare breed back then and he said on Chiclets that he had to play like a lunatic and agitate to make it in the NHL because of his size and that he wasn't very fast for a smaller guy.

 

[Sypher04]

I just think the whole height and weight argument these days is dumb. Plenty of smaller guys in the NHL that are smaller than Cowan. I used Hughes to show that he is smaller than Cowan and is excelling. Are they different types of players? Sure. At 185lbs, that's already a solid build at 18 and will likely be closer to Acciari's build in a few years. Cowan will have more skill and will likely develop his game to be able to create more space for himself.

Yep Tucker was smaller and fearless. Cowan seems to have a bit of that dawg in him and plays with a high motor. He was kind of a rare breed back then and he said on Chiclets that he had to play like a lunatic and agitate to make it in the NHL because of his size and that he wasn't very fast for a smaller guy.

Yep. I mean, look no further than Marner.
Returned to Junior draft+1 season. Absolutely dominated, much like Cowan.
Joined the Leafs at 19 and has been here since. Today, 9 years later, he's still only 6'0" and 180 lbs.

 

[egd27]

Yep. I mean, look no further than Marner.
Returned to Junior draft+1 season. Absolutely dominated, much like Cowan.
Joined the Leafs at 19 and has been here since. Today, 9 years later, he's still only 6'0" and 180 lbs.

Yea, but he's being run out of town

 

[Punch Drunk Loov]

Imagine if the Leafs didn't trade every single pick away and we allowed our massive scouting team to find guys.

 

[HockeyVirus]

It will be interesting to see how he does at camp and early next year.

If we he ends up back in the O, London likely repeat as champions. The team around him will also be better than it was this year which is hard to believe.

Yeah will be interesting to see him in the prospects tournament in September. He should be a clear standout like Robertson was.

For all the doom and gloom.. Knies, Robertson, Cowan is a hell of a next generation of forwards coming up behind Matthews and Nylander. Woll might be something too. Our window is still wide open with the right tweaks

Imagine if the Leafs didn't trade every single pick away and we allowed our massive scouting team to find guys.

Imagine if this scouting staff and philosophy was here when Hunter wasted our 300 picks in the rebuilding years on busts like Korshkov and Rantanen because they were big?

 

[Jimmy Firecracker]

Last night he played 1C and did pretty well with it.

That's probably the only benefit I can think of if he went back to the OHL, he play centre for a full year potentially, we do need centres.

This is an angle I hadn't considered and if that's the case then sending him back to hone his skills at centre would be a good next step for him. Leafs centre depth after Matthews is pretty depressing. Tavares is only getting older and slower and Holmberg and Minten project to have 3rd line centre as their ceiling. Cowan has shown a higher end offensive game than either of those two. It might be in the Leafs best interest to try and turn Cowan into a centre.

Not that I’d be disappointed if he entered the league as a winger and became our version of Konecny.

 

[LeafSteel]

This is an angle I hadn't considered and if that's the case then sending him back to hone his skills at centre would be a good next step for him. Leafs centre depth after Matthews is pretty depressing. Tavares is only getting older and slower and Holmberg and Minten project to have 3rd line centre as their ceiling. Cowan has shown a higher end offensive game than either of those two. It might be in the Leafs best interest to try and turn Cowan into a centre.

Not that I’d be disappointed if he entered the league as a winger and became our version of Konecny.

I think there is value to letting him learn from Tavares, starting with face offs.

I don’t know how much more value a return to London has for him.

 

[Martin Skoula]

This is an angle I hadn't considered and if that's the case then sending him back to hone his skills at centre would be a good next step for him. Leafs centre depth after Matthews is pretty depressing. Tavares is only getting older and slower and Holmberg and Minten project to have 3rd line centre as their ceiling. Cowan has shown a higher end offensive game than either of those two. It might be in the Leafs best interest to try and turn Cowan into a centre.

Not that I’d be disappointed if he entered the league as a winger and became our version of Konecny.

I’m not really seeing the center thing with him, I’m sure he could do a fine job but his strengths are on the forecheck and counter attack. Why neuter him by making him first man back? I’d rather a winger with a defined role that leans into what makes him special over a pretty decent vanilla center.

 

[acrobaticgoalie]

Yea, but he's being run out of town

Not due to his size though. Due to his lack of a spine. Guentzel is about the same size as Marner but he doesn't play scared in the playoffs.

 

[Warden of the North]

I'll admit I was indifferent about him when he was picked and chuckled that Tre's first pick as GM was basically a Dubas type pick.

He has grossly exceeded my expectations and I hope he has a great career as a Maple Leaf. We need him down the centre badly.