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Easton Cowan

Maple Leafs Debuting Easton Cowan In Top-Line Role

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Earlier today, Mark Masters of TSN revealed Toronto’s lines at practice, and confirmed that Easton Cowan appears all set to make his NHL debut on the Leafs’ first line tomorrow versus the Red Wings. 

The lights could not be much brighter for Toronto’s standout prospect, an Ontario native who grew up rooting for the team, to debut on Auston Matthews’ wing against Detroit tomorrow at home. Originally drafted 28th overall in 2023, Cowan quickly emerged as a standout with the London Knights, helping lead the marquee franchise to back-to-back OHL titles and a Memorial Cup. With Cowan up top, Matias Maccelli, an intriguing pickup from the Leafs during the offseason, will slot in with John Tavares and William Nylander, still a great spot for the talented playmaker as he finds his role in Toronto. 

Although Cowan had a slight statistical regression in his final season with London (96 points to 69) while also appearing in 8 fewer games, the hometown youngster is Toronto’s undisputed top prospect with legitimate top-six potential. As is a challenge for any cap-constrained team vying to extend their contention window, the emergence of players such as Cowan is critical. It is especially the case for the Leafs, given their lack of high draft picks in previous years, along with Mitch Marner’s departure, and the trading away of fellow key prospect Fraser Minten last season. Toronto was able to strike gold with their 2021 second round choice, Matthew Knies, and they hope Cowan will follow the same blueprint, soon injecting more youth into the club. 

At just 20, and having yet to play professional hockey at all, Cowan could end up back in the AHL at some point, but the Leafs have placed their prospect in an incredible opportunity to succeed right away. Many eyes will be on Cowan and how he rises to the occasion, filling in for for the currently injured Steven Lorentz. The awaited-debut will come tomorrow afternoon. 

Maple Leafs Recall Top Prospect Easton Cowan

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The Maple Leafs announced that No. 1 prospect Easton Cowan has been recalled from AHL Toronto. He was expected to be included on the club’s opening night roster but was assigned to the minors on Monday as the team claimed Sammy Blais and Cayden Primeau off waivers and set their LTIR capture with defenseman Marshall Rifai. Forward Jacob Quillan has been assigned to the AHL in a corresponding move.

Whether Cowan makes his NHL debut tonight when the Leafs open their season against the Canadiens remains to be seen. The 20-year-old was a late riser in the 2023 draft, fueled by a strong combine performance, and went 28th overall to Toronto. He’s slotted in as the organization’s top-ranked prospect ever since and still holds the title over 2024 first-rounder Ben Danford, according to NHL.com. The 6’0″ center has enjoyed an offensive surge in juniors in the two years following his selection but also plays an intriguing physical brand.

While Cowan wasn’t technically on Toronto’s initial roster submission, he would have broken camp with the team if not for roster constraints. He was a late cut in each of the last two seasons after signing his entry-level contract back in August 2023 and had a good preseason showing for the Leafs, managing two assists in five games while generating seven individual scoring chances, per Natural Stat Trick. He looked like a sure bet to open the season as Toronto’s fourth-line right wing alongside Steven Lorentz and Scott Laughton, a spot where he spent virtually all of training camp, until Laughton was sidelined late in preseason with a lower-body injury and landed on IR to start the year.

Two years on from draft day, Cowan is still considered a top-100 prospect in the NHL – checking in as high as No. 48 league-wide in preseason rankings by Steven Ellis of Daily Faceoff. He’s been the offensive centerpiece of a dominant London Knights team in the OHL over the past two seasons, winning a pair of league championships. He’s led the OHL postseason in scoring in back-to-back years – same with the Memorial Cup – and has won MVP honors once in each tournament. Since draft day, Cowan has amassed 92 goals, 161 assists, 253 points, and a +105 rating in 144 regular-season, playoff, and Memorial Cup games – a rate of 1.76 points per game.

That resume, plus Cowan’s strong camp performance, was enough for the Leafs to risk exposing serviceable depth forwards David Kämpf and Michael Pezzetta to waivers in order to keep maneuverability open to get him a spot. After “making” the team, Cowan’s attention now turns toward staying in the lineup and putting himself ahead of names like Blais, Calle Järnkrok, and Nicholas Robertson on the depth chart.

His $873,500 cap hit is ever so slightly less than Quillan’s $875,000 cap hit, explaining why the latter was included to help them get as close as possible to unlocking the max $775,000 worth of initial relief that placing Rifai on LTIR provides (he had wrist surgery last month). While Quillan’s initial inclusion may have only been for cap purposes, it likely won’t be the last of him on Toronto’s roster this season. An undrafted free agent signed out of Quinnipiac in 2024, Quillan had 37 points in 67 AHL games last season and earned his first NHL call-up, although he was injured early and skated just 5:21 in a January game against the Senators.

Quillan is a pending restricted free agent and has two waiver-exempt seasons remaining, unless he hits 70 career NHL games before the end of the 2026-27 campaign. The 23-year-old will look toward next training camp as a chance to stick around as a depth checking forward.

Atlantic Notes: Ekblad, Veleno, Cowan, Supplemental Discipline

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Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad left last night’s chaotic preseason contest against the Tampa Bay Lightning early, after just 41 seconds of ice time. His removal from the game came just after Lightning forward Scott Sabourin – a longtime AHL bruiser – delivered a big hit (and a punch to the head) of Ekblad. There has been no further update on Ekblad’s status and whether he suffered an injury, though as preseason games between rivals this preseason have featured unusually intense physical play, it would be no surprise to learn Ekblad was removed from the game for precautionary reasons.

If his removal was indeed precautionary, it would appear such a move was a wise one by the Panthers. Yesterday’s game featured a whopping 312 penalty minutes and 16 ejections, with the Panthers themselves getting an eye-popping 17 power play opportunities in their 7-0 victory. The game also earned Tampa’s Roman Schmidt a hefty fine from the Department of Player Safety for cross-checking Carter Verhaeghe. It is unsurprising that the Panthers would look to be careful managing Ekblad, as the 2014 number-one overall pick has been somewhat injury-prone throughout his 732-game NHL career. Ekblad has not been healthy for a full season’s slate of games in the 2020’s, and has played in fewer than sixty games in each of the last two NHL campaigns.

Other notes from the NHL’s Atlantic Division:

  • 306-game NHL veteran Joe Veleno has been a standout player of the Montreal Canadiens’ preseason and training camp, wrote both Sportsnet’s Eric Engels and The Athletic’s Arpon Basu. Basu wrote that it is “safe to assume” that Veleno’s performance this training camp and preseason has earned him a spot on the team’s season-opening NHL roster, which would be a crucial development for Veleno, who signed a one-year, $900K contract in Montreal in July. Veleno was bought out of his last contract by the Seattle Kraken, and appeared to be at a crossroads regarding his NHL future. The 2018 first-rounder appeared to lose his grip on a regular NHL role in Detroit and Chicago, just one year after scoring a career-high 12 goals and 28 points. Now it appears Veleno has found a strong fit with his hometown Canadiens, and could end up filling some of the role occupied last season by Christian Dvorak.
  • Toronto Maple Leafs 2023 first-rounder Easton Cowan has been a hugely successful star player for the OHL’s London Knights, but hasn’t yet made his debut in professional hockey. That is about to change, and Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube indicated to the media (including The Hockey News’ David Alter) that Cowan’s debut could come in the NHL. Berube said that he believes Cowan is NHL-ready, and that his readiness has given the club “decisions to make” in terms of who to keep on its NHL roster. The Memorial Cup winner and 2-time OHL champion showed his pro-readiness in scoring 39 points in 17 postseason contests with the Knights last season.
  • The NHL Department of Player Safety announced initial supplemental disciplinary actions resulting from yesterday’s violent preseason contest between the Panthers and the Lightning. Defenseman J.J. Moser will have a hearing for boarding Jesper Boqvist, Sabourin will have a hearing for his aforementioned hit (and more) on Ekblad, while Gage Goncalves and Roman Schmidt will each be fined the maximum-allowable amount under the CBA ($3,125 and $2,098.52, respectively) for cross-checking. The dates and times of Moser and Sabourin’s respective hearings have not yet been determined.

Easton Cowan Hoping To Join Maple Leafs Out Of Training Camp

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After sending All-Star winger Mitch Marner to the Vegas Golden Knights in a sign-and-trade, the Toronto Maple Leafs have looked to fill their new offensive void by committee. Using the cap space left by Marner, the Maple Leafs have acquired Matias Maccelli, Nicolas Roy, and Dakota Joshua via trade. Still, there is a promising prospect eager to be part of the new equation.

Enter the 28th overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft, Easton Cowan. Cowan is coming off an impressive three-year stint with the OHL’s London Knights, scoring 83 goals and 218 points in 168 games, with a +72 rating. He has also been a phenom in postseason action, scoring 32 goals and 94 points in 55 playoff games with a +41 rating, helping the Knights win two OHL championships and reach two Memorial Cup Final appearances, winning the most recent one this past season.

In a recent interview on Sportsnet’s The FAN Morning Show with hosts Ben Ennis and Brent Gunning, Knights head coach Dale Hunter said he expects Cowan to make the Maple Leafs roster out of training camp, saying, “He’s going to push to make the team and play well for the Leafs. Every organization needs young guys pushing to make the team, and it’ll make the Leafs better. I’m betting he’s going to make it, so that’s a good thing for the Leafs.”

Although it’s nice to hear a positive recommendation from his recent coach, Cowan has enough confidence for the both of them. During a team media availability after a development camp skate in early July, Cowan was quoted as saying, “This time last year, I wasn’t as good as I am now. Just being able to manage the puck better, I’ve learned that a lot this year, and obviously with the Knights organization, they helped me out a lot. I felt when games got bigger, I got better. Those are the games I love to play in, when there’s a lot of people watching and there’s high stakes.”

If it’s a high-stakes environment he craves, it’s a high-stakes environment he shall receive in Toronto. Although it was only the second time that the Maple Leafs had moved beyond the opening round of the playoffs in the last two decades, the postseason fell well short of expectations. Of arguably any team in the NHL for the foreseeable future, the stakes are the highest in Toronto.

Unfortunately for Cowan, he’ll have to have a flawless training camp to crack the opening night roster. The Maple Leafs already have 14 forwards signed to one-way contracts next season, without counting RFA forward Nicholas Robertson, who may be back with the club despite his ongoing trade request.

His pathway will become extremely narrow if Toronto decides to retain Robertson for the upcoming season. However, he could take one of the roster spots from Calle Järnkrok or Michael Pezzetta. Assuming he can beat out one of the latter two for a roster spot, Cowan could then work his way up to a top-six role throughout the regular season.

Morning Notes: Lemieux, Cowan, Fowler

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Former Carolina Hurricanes forward Brendan Lemieux has signed a contract with HC Davos, matching a report earlier this week that the 27-year-old would move overseas to continue his career. The Hurricanes and Lemieux mutually split this past week, allowing him to move to Switzerland to play in the National League. Lemieux spent this season with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves, making $775K on a one-way deal. It was the first time Lemieux was in the AHL since the 2017-18 season, and the former second-round pick was struggling offensively, with just two goals in 12 games.

As for why Lemieux chose to go overseas, it does appear that he was chasing a new opportunity. Derek O’Brien of The Hockey News writes that Lemieux has signed for the rest of this season as well as two additional years.

In other morning notes:

  • Hockey Canada tweeted that Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Easton Cowan will attend the team’s selection camp but won’t participate for precautionary reasons. The news caps off an eventful, albeit difficult couple of days for the 19-year-old. Cowan recorded a point for the 56th consecutive game on Friday, unofficially setting an OHL record, but was injured a short time later by an open-ice hit. In a corresponding move, Team Canada added Anaheim Ducks prospect Beckett Sennecke to their selection camp. The 2024 third-overall pick has 21 goals and 23 assists in 26 OHL games this season and has 14 points over his last four games.
  • It’s being reported that the Anaheim Ducks were hoping to include defenseman Cam Fowler in the trade to acquire Jacob Trouba (as per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet). Fowler has been looking for a trade for quite some time, but the Rangers wanted to keep flexibility for this year and next and wouldn’t have realized much savings if they were to add Fowler’s $6.5MM cap hit. Friedman notes that the Ducks and Fowler are looking for a solution to their situation that will help both the team and the long-time Ducks veteran. The 33-year-old Fowler has been a perennial 40-point player for most of his career but has struggled this season with just three assists in 14 games.

Morning Notes: Cowan, Simon, Fletcher

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In an interview with NHL independent correspondent Dave McCarthy, Maple Leafs prospect Easton Cowan is confident he will make the opening night roster out of training camp. After an impressive season with the OHL’s London Knights, it is hard to argue against Cowan making the Maple Leafs’ lineup next season.

Cowan originally came to the Maple Leafs organization as the 28th overall selection of the 2023 NHL Draft. The young forward was coming off a season in which he scored 20 goals and 53 points in 68 games, including another 21 points in 20 playoff contests, but was not projected to be a first-round talent in many 2023 mock drafts.

Nobody is denouncing the pick by Toronto any longer, as Cowan exploded for 34 goals and 96 points in 54 games this past season while collecting 10 goals and 34 points in 18 postseason contests, along with OHL Playoff MVP honors. The quick and highly intelligent forward would be a cheap top-six option for the Maple Leafs next season, who may benefit greatly from putting him alongside Auston Matthews.

Other snapshots:

  • Former NHL depth forward Dominik Simon will stay in his native Czechia as HC Plzeň announced they will be bringing him in for next season. Simon is a veteran of 256 games at the NHL level, where he scored 22 goals and 77 points over seven years in the league. He spent most of his time with the Penguins organization and briefly played for the Flames and Ducks. Simon is coming off a season in which he scored five goals and 17 points in 39 games for Motor České Budějovice.
  • Moving back to Toronto, Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun reports Cliff Fletcher will return to the Maple Leafs organization as a senior advisor. Fletcher may have the lengthiest résumé in the NHL at this point after beginning work as a scout for the Canadiens before the start of the 1956-57 season. The veteran front office member spent a decent chunk of time as general manager for the Atlanta/Calgary Flames in the 70’s and 80’s before serving in the same role for the Maple Leafs. Additionally, Fletcher served as general manager of the Phoenix Coyotes before returning to Toronto and has been serving as a senior advisor since the 2009-10 NHL season.

NHL-Affiliated Prospects Playing In 2024 Memorial Cup

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The field for the 2024 Memorial Cup, the top club tournament in junior hockey, is set. The QMJHL’s Drummondville Voltigeurs, the OHL’s London Knights and the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors all swept their respective league championship series within the last two days to advance to the CHL championship tournament, joining the host Saginaw Spirit of the OHL.

This year marks the first Memorial Cup held in the United States since 1998, which was hosted by the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs. The Spirit will attempt to become the first U.S.-based team to win since the Chiefs in 2008, and they have a strong chance. They’re stronger than a typical host team, finishing second in the league in the regular season with a 50-16-2 record and trailing London by just two points. They were eliminated by London in six games in the Western Conference Final.

The Knights lead the way with 10 NHL-affiliated prospects on their roster, including two first-round picks in Flyers defenseman Oliver Bonk and Maple Leafs forward Easton Cowan. The latter was named the OHL playoffs MVP after leading the Knights in scoring with 10 goals, 24 assists and 34 points in just 18 games. He had 15 points in four games in their championship sweep over the Oshawa Generals.

If you’re looking for some non-Stanley Cup Playoff hockey to watch, check to see if your favorite NHL team has prospects suiting up in the tournament, which begins May 24:

Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL champion)

D Mikaël Diotte (Devils, free agent signing)
RW Ethan Gauthier (Lightning, 2023, 37th overall)
RW Alexis Gendron (Flyers, 2022, 220th overall)
D Vsevolod Komarov (Sabres, 2022, 134th overall)

NHL Utah 2022 first-round pick D Maveric Lamoureux is out for the season after undergoing shoulder surgery in March.

London Knights (OHL champion)

C Denver Barkey (Flyers, 2023, 95th overall)
D Oliver Bonk (Flyers, 2023, 22nd overall)
C Easton Cowan (Maple Leafs, 2023, 28th overall)
D Jackson Edward (Bruins, 2022, 200th overall)
D Isaiah George (Islanders, 2022, 98th overall)
RW Kasper Halttunen (Sharks, 2023, 36th overall)
C Jacob Julien (Jets, 2023, 146th overall)
C Kaleb Lawrence (Kings, 2022, 215th overall)
C Max McCue (Blue Jackets, free agent signing)
C Landon Sim (Blues, 2022, 184th overall)

Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL champion)

RW Jagger Firkus (Kraken, 2022, 35th overall)
D Denton Mateychuk (Blue Jackets, 2022, 12th overall)
D Kalem Parker (Wild, 2023, 181st overall)
D Vojtech Port (Ducks, 2023, 161st overall)
LW Martin Rysavy (Blue Jackets, 2021, 197th overall)
C Matthew Savoie (Sabres, 2022, 9th overall)
C Brayden Yager (Penguins, 2023, 14th overall)

Saginaw Spirit (host)

C Owen Beck (Canadiens, 2022, 33rd overall)
LW Josh Bloom (Canucks, acquired from Sabres in 2023 trade for Riley Stillman)
D Rodwin Dionicio (Ducks, 2023, 129th overall)
D Jorian Donovan (Senators, 2022, 136th overall)
C Hunter Haight (Wild, 2022, 47th overall)
C Ethan Hay (Lightning, 2023, 211th overall)
G Nolan Lalonde (Blue Jackets, free agent signing)
C Matyas Sapovaliv (Golden Knights, 2022, 48th overall)
C Joseph Willis (Predators, 2023, 111th overall)

Toronto Maple Leafs Sign Easton Cowan

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Aug 11: CapFriendly has the full breakdown of Cowan’s three-year entry-level contract, which carries a $935.8K cap hit. Cowan has an $82.5K minors salary in all three seasons of the deal, which is slide-eligible for two seasons if he plays less than ten NHL games in each season.

2023-24: $830K salary, $92K signing bonus
2024-25: $842K salary, $93.5K signing bonus
2025-26: $855K salary, $95K signing bonus

Aug 10: Being there only once in the first four rounds of the 2023 NHL Draft, the Toronto Maple Leafs have signed 28th overall selection Easton Cowan to a three-year, entry-level contract, per a team announcement. Cowan will continue his junior career not too far from Toronto, as he is once again scheduled to suit up for the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League next season.

In his first full season in the OHL, Cowan played well, scoring 20 goals and 33 assists in 68 games for the Knights as a 17-year-old. More impressive than his regular season point production, Cowan was incredible in the playoffs, scoring nine goals and 12 assists in 20 games. He would help lead the Knights all the way to the OHL Championship series, eventually losing to the Peterborough Petes in six games.

Two of the best qualities in Cowan’s game are his hockey intelligence and speed. He was largely able to out-maneuver most opponents due to his creativity matching up very well with his quickness. If the Maple Leafs are able to keep their current group intact, Cowan should fit in rather nicely to their top six down the line.

Per the NHL-CHL transfer agreement, Cowan is not yet eligible for the American Hockey League, and it is highly unlikely that he will get a look at the NHL level this season, even if only for nine games. At least for next year, and potentially the year after that, Cowan will likely continue to grow his game in the OHL, hoping to make his mark on the Original Six organization in the near future.

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