Easton Cowan showed off his playmaking ability during the London Knights’ 3-2 victory over the Moncton Wildcats in their opening game of the 2025 Memorial Cup.
Cowan registered two assists, setting up Sam O’Reilly’s overtime winner on Saturday evening. Cutting through the offensive zone, Cowan circled back, spun around and tossed a puck towards the net that O’Reilly buried for the game-winner. It was O’Reilly’s second goal of the contest.
COWAN➡️O'REILLY➡️GAME OVER🚨@MapleLeafs prospect Easton Cowan makes a beautiful play to find @EdmontonOilers prospect Sam O'Reilly in front, and he buries it to secure the win in overtime for @LondonKnights!🤩#MemorialCup | @CHLHockey | #LetsGoOilers | #LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/58e9q7jFqt
— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) May 25, 2025
During the second period, Cowan registered the primary assist on Kasper Halttunen’s go-ahead goal, as the Knights worked the puck around on the power play. Cowan received the puck in the upper shot and fired it over to Halttunen, who made no mistake on the one-timer. Cowan previously broke the Knights’ all-time playoff scoring record this year.
Halttunen, a 2023 second-round selection of the San Jose Sharks, was named OHL Playoff MVP this year.
“I think I’ve really just rounded my game out well,” Cowan said previously to TSN’s Mark Masters. “A good 200-foot game. Obviously, I didn’t have the point production during the regular season but eventually it came in the playoffs. But just being able to manage the puck at different times of the game, and when to be risky and when not to be risky, and just getting pucks out, getting pucks in, I feel like I’ve matured my game a lot.”
Cowan is the Toronto Maple Leafs’ top-ranked prospect and will be afforded every opportunity to make the NHL roster next fall, two years removed from being selected with the 28th overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. This year’s Memorial Cup also provides Cowan with a shot at redemeption, as the Knights lost in last year’s Memorial Cup final to the Saginaw Spirit. And there will be some more challenges in store for Cowan and his Knights teammates, with QMJHL champion Rimouski Oceanic on the schedule Sunday, before closing out the round-robin against presumptive 2026 first overall pick Gavin McKenna and the Medicine Hat Tigers on Tuesday.
