Toronto Maple Leafs top prospect Easton Cowan has been officially named to Canada’s World Juniors team, Hockey Canada announced Friday.
Cowan has registered 15 goals and 28 points in 20 games for the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League. The 19-year-old is coming off a tour-de-force 2023-24 campaign, where he was named OHL MVP and OHL Playoff MVP, while leading the Knights to the Memorial Cup Final.
Although he was widely considered a lock to make the team, it’s a tremendous accomplishment for Toronto’s 2023 first-round pick. He registered one goal and two points in five games at last year’s World Juniors tournament as Canada slumped to a fifth-place finish. Cowan is expected to take on a leading role on this year’s team as one of the returnees, while being able to play in a number of roles and could be used as a lead penalty-killer.
Cowan missed the selection camp due to an injury suffered against the Oshawa Generals on December 6, after taking a hit from Generals defenceman Zack Sandhu in the open ice. Earlier in the contest, Cowan broke the OHL’s unofficial record for most consecutive games with a point, registering a point for the 56th consecutive game — the league doesn’t recognize Cowan’s accomplishment as it occurred over the span of two seasons. Cowan skated on December 11, working on individual puck drills.
Cowan will be joined by fellow Knights teammate Sam Dickinson. Dickinson was selected 11th overall by the San Jose Sharks in the 2024 NHL Draft.
It’ll be a compelling tournament for Maple Leafs fans, as Cowan could be named to the team’s leadership group as one of the returnees and has every opportunity to dominate in a scoring role. Cowan has ascended through the junior hockey circuit over the past two years and could become a national hero if he can lead Canada to the gold medal, after a disappointing 2024 tournament.
