Easton Cowan made his return to the London Knights lineup against the Owen Sound Attack on Wednesday after missing the previous four games with a lower-body injury and continued his remarkable point streak in the process.
Cowan extended his point streak to 55 games with a pair of assists in a 3-0 victory over the Attack, and he set the unofficial OHL record (the OHL doesn’t officially recognize streaks that occur over multiple seasons) at 56 games with a goal against Oshawa on Friday before he was again forced to leave the game following a massive open-ice hit from the Generals’ Zack Sandhu that left both players shaken up.
easton cowan just left the game after a monster hit from zack sandhu. there was blood on the ice and both players were visibly shaken up after the collision. pic.twitter.com/WfwtgyHxNE
— Lauren Kelly (@laurkelly24) December 7, 2024
The Knights don’t play again until Friday, December 13th, at which point Cowan is scheduled to take part in Canada’s World Junior selection camp in Ottawa, but he will not participate in on-ice activities for precautionary reasons following his exit from Friday’s contest. As one of just a handful of returning players from last year’s team, Cowan is expected to be a key player while taking on a leadership role as Canada looks to avenge a disappointing showing at the annual holiday tournament a year ago, but he will have to be cleared to return to the ice before the tournament gets underway.
Notes from the rest of the prospect pool:
- That Friday night tilt between the Knights and Generals was a physical affair and an eventful outing for another top Leafs prospect, Ben Danford. Offensive production has been tough to come by for Toronto’s 2024 first-round pick, but he picked up his third goal of the season on Friday, and that stood as the winner against one of the OHL’s heavyweights.
#LeafsForever prospect Ben Danford rifles the wrist shot from the point and through traffic to give Oshawa a 4-3 lead in the third period. It’s his third goal and 9th point in 24 games this year. pic.twitter.com/r9MEGu2TUA
— More like Nikita GREATbyonkin (@brigstew86) December 7, 2024
Danford also made his presence felt with a big hit of his own in the contest, showcasing his hard-nosed style of play, and ultimately, it is that physicality and stout defensive play that will be his ticket to the NHL in the next couple of years.
#LeafsForever prospect Ben Danford with a HUGE open ice hit on 6’4″, 195 lb Blake Montgomery. pic.twitter.com/9qXRPvFpo4
— More like Nikita GREATbyonkin (@brigstew86) December 7, 2024
- Fraser Minten has turned heads since being recalled to the Leafs in mid-November, and most importantly, he has drawn plenty of praise from Leafs head coach Craig Berube. When asked if Minten has made it a more difficult decision as to how the lineup might shake out when other regulars start returning from various injuries, Berube said, “Definitely. If he can help us, I want him here. That’s how I look at it. He’s the type of player that we like. A lot.” Minten has surely made a strong impression through his eight games with the Leafs so far this season, and it sounds like he will have a chance to continue proving his worth even when the Leafs’ forward group is healthy.
- Despite a strong rookie season in the AHL, Topi Niemelä seems to have fallen down the depth chart in a significant way. He was hardly given a look during the preseason after Toronto brought in an abundance of depth defenders, and he has found himself as a healthy scratch for the Marlies a couple of times this season. He was back in the lineup against Laval on Saturday and tallied his ninth assist in 16 games, giving him five more points than the Marlies’ next-highest-scoring blueliner, but he will have to become a more consistent contributor at both ends of the ice before he finds himself back in the conversation for a potential NHL call-up.
- After a three-game pointless skid, Noah Chadwick has been heating up on the Lethbridge Hurricanes’ blue line. He scored a goal in Tuesday’s win to extend his point streak to four games, and he made it five games with his seventh tally of the season in Friday’s 4-3 victory over Medicine Hat. For the season, Chadwick is up to 22 points in 24 games.
Captain Chadwick with the equalizer🫡🫡
@WHLHurricanes | @MapleLeafs pic.twitter.com/FhDbPL8J0t
— The WHL (@TheWHL) December 7, 2024
- Simply put, Artur Akhtyamov has been spectacular between the pipes for the Marlies this season – his first in North America. He stopped 22 of the 24 shots he faced in regulation and overtime and then came out on top in the shootout to pick up the win against Laval on Friday. The victory brought Akhtyamov’s record to 7-0-1, to go along with a 1.70 GAA and a .933 SV% on the season. Dennis Hildeby propelled his way up the organizational depth chart with an impressive rookie season in the AHL last year, and Akhtyamov might just surpass him if he keeps this up.
- Alex Steeves never found the scoresheet in his four games with the Leafs, but he has been on fire since returning to the Marlies. Steeves tallied a goal and an assist on Friday, and he became the Marlies’ all-time leading scorer after a pair of goals in Saturday’s rematch against Laval. Through 12 games in the AHL so far this season, Steeves has notched 12 goals and four assists, and he should be in line for another look with the Leafs at some point.
OUR NEW ALL-TIME FRANCHISE POINTS LEADER, ALEX STEEVES 👏 pic.twitter.com/Hu9LyeZfOn
— Toronto Marlies (@TorontoMarlies) December 7, 2024
- Ty Voit has had to face his fair share of adversity since beginning his pro career, and things didn’t start well for him this season either, but he put together a productive week in the ECHL. Voit scored in back-to-back games this past week, bringing him up to seven points in 17 games with Cincinnati this season. With how bereft the Cyclones are of talent, it’s difficult to glean too much from Voit’s stat line, especially after he lit up the league in a rehab stint with the Newfoundland Growlers, but he appears to be a long way down the depth chart at this point.
Fridge worthy goal🤩 pic.twitter.com/PuiNeRfOTH
— Cincinnati Cyclones (@CincyCyclones) December 7, 2024
- Coming off a four-game stretch that saw him pot six goals and an assist, Sam McCue was held to just two assists over his next five games before getting back in the goal column against the Soo Greyhounds on Saturday. Even with that short slump, McCue is putting together an impressive season, particularly for a seventh-round pick, with 17 goals and nine helpers through 27 games for the Owen Sound Attack.
SHARP SHOOTER MCCUE!🎯👏@MapleLeafs 2024 #NHLDraft pick Sam McCue perfectly places this one in the five-hole to give @AttackOHL the advantage!🐻#OHL | @CHLHockey | #LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/QkoAEIszjo
— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) December 8, 2024
- Much like Niemelä, William Villeneuve has been knocked down the depth chart by all of the depth additions the Leafs made coming into the season. He’s gotten into just 10 games for the Marlies so far this season, and three of his four assists on the campaign came in two games against Laval over the weekend. Villeneuve has shown significant improvement in his mobility and defensive play since turning pro, but it looks like time might be running out for the 2020 fourth-rounder.
WHO ELSE!! STEEVER AGAIN!! pic.twitter.com/UB8wzKjAfp
— Toronto Marlies (@TorontoMarlies) December 7, 2024
- 2024 fifth-round pick Miroslav Holinka has been out of action since suffering an injury against Prince George on November 30th, but he has been cleared to participate in Czechia’s World Junior camp later this week. Holinka is expected to make the team, and his versatility could land him a top-six role throughout the tournament.
Statistics from EliteProspects.com
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