Brimming with confidence following his second go-around at Leafs Camp, Cowan takes aim at making it to the NHL.
Easton Cowan gained a lot of confidence over the last year and it was evident based on how he conducted himself during his second Maple Leafs development camp.
Now that the annual summer gathering has finished, the forward has one goal in mind.
"I want to make the team. That's always been my goal," Cowan said on Sunday. "I want to play in the NHL one day, and I'm feeling very confident, so I've just got to come into camp, be a very reliable player, someone the coach can trust. I've just got to learn game management a bit better, and I think I'll be good."
The Toronto Maple Leafs' first-round pick (28th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft demonstrated his poise and skill with the puck throughout the five-day session. On Sunday, development camp ended with a scrimmage and a shootout.
Cowan, playing on a line with Fraser Minten and Nicholas Moldenhauer, dominated from a skills standpoint. Cowan, in particular, showed off his skills with a smooth move in the shootout in addition to his goal.
Minten is not surprised to see how much Cowan has grown in the last year.
"Pretty much everybody you see picked at the top of a draft has that mindset, that's why they're up there," Minten said. "They just continue to go like this usually, and Easton's going up a really steep trajectory, and I think they'll keep doing that."
Minten made the Leafs out of training camp in just his second year in the organization so Cowan has seen the framework that it can happen. There is arguably more of an opportunity for both players this fall given the lack of perceived depth up front. That may change by the time camp opens up, but at first count, there is the possibility of a couple of open spots.
But after a season where Cowan took home OHL Most Outstanding Player and OHL MVP honors, there is absolutely nothing left for the player to prove at the junior level. The 19-year-old is not eligible to play with the Marlies and would have to either play with the Leafs or his junior club, the London Knights.
Cowan will spend most of the remaining summer training at a facility in Komoka, near his hometown of Mount Brydges in Southwestern Ontario. There's an awareness from Cowan that improving his defensive game will be a determining factor for Leafs brass in deciding if the forward is ready.
"More stops and starts, kind of opening up my body towards the check instead of turning my back, just having a head on a swivel at all times, and really just getting it in at the blue line, getting out at the blue line," Cowan explained. "Little plays like that really go a long way with coaches."
