Cowan was sent back to the London Knights on Monday as the Maple Leafs finalized their opening-day roster.
Mitch Marner didn't have a chance to say goodbye to Easton Cowan after the Toronto Maple Leafs sent the young forward back to the OHL's London Knights.
It was a difficult camp for Cowan for many reasons. The jump from junior to the NHL is never easy, and when you're trying to make the squad of a potential Stanley Cup contender, it becomes even more challenging.
The 19-year-old registered two assists through five pre-season games with the Maple Leafs before being sent back to the OHL on Monday when Toronto needed to finalize their opening-day roster.
Although Cowan couldn't make the jump this year, there'll be plenty of learning experiences he can take away from another training camp in Toronto. He'll take the knowledge to London as the team makes a run at the Memorial Cup after losing in the final this past spring.
Marner, who spent three years with the Knights, hopes to speak with Cowan before the season begins. The message Marner wants to send? Enjoy every bit of this next season.
"Just go and have fun. Do your thing. Be the leader that you can be and keep trying to achieve great things in London. Obviously, I was talking with him a little bit about falling a little short (in the Memorial Cup) and how disappointed he was and stuff like that. Another great opportunity to go back there and try to do it again," Marner said on Tuesday.
"You can only get better and learn more things, and especially under the Hunters, you can always get better and learn more things from those two. I'm excited to watch him, excited to see the great things he does this year, and see him grow up and be the leader that he can be."
Cowan finished last season with 34 goals and 62 assists in 54 OHL games. He also had 10 goals and 24 assists in 18 playoff games, plus a 42-game point streak (regular season and playoffs), from Nov. 25 to Apr. 13.
The forward also won the Red Tilson Trophy, given to the OHL's Most Outstanding Player.
