The Toronto Maple Leafs have returned top prospect Easton Cowan to the OHL’s London Knights, the team announced Monday.
Cowan was Toronto’s first-round pick in 2023, selected 28th overall in the NHL Draft. He submitted a tour-de-force campaign for London last year, capturing OHL MVP after recording 34 goals and 96 points in 54 games. Cowan also won OHL Playoff MVP and led the Knights to the Memorial Cup Final, where they were ousted by the Saginaw Spirit.
Toronto afforded Cowan a real chance of making the team, and he got to play alongside Mitch Marner and Max Domi during a September 26 preseason game against the Montreal Canadiens.
“You want to do what’s right for the long term,” Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving said Friday on The FAN Hockey Show. “We think Easton is going to be a major part of this team moving forward. Now is that now, is that starting a year from now, we’ll see. We’ve got a few days to play this out but we’re going to do ultimately what’s really important for Easton.”
Cowan recorded two assists in five preseason games.
Treliving previously rejected the idea of the team building their roster to fit a set timeline, noting that the best players in camp will be on the opening day roster.
“It’s the NHL. If you can help us win, I don’t care if you’re 18 or you’re 38, play well,” Treliving said media day on September 18.
“Now, we do feel young players are coming. It’s not just age, right? I look at our team right now. I’m sure everybody’s got the names on the map, who’s playing what’s who. We’ll see. Let’s be honest. Everybody talks about there’s competition at camp, come win a job.”
Cowan did a lot of small things well and he showed glimpses of his high-end offensive skill set throughout training camp, but the like the vast majority of 19-year-old NHL hopefuls, he needs to add strength, especially when holding onto the puck in the offensive zone against NHL-calibre defencemen.
It’s only a matter of time before Cowan becomes a permanent fixture on the Maple Leafs, but for now, he’ll begin the year in London, where will he immediately become the most dangerous scorer in the Canadian Hockey League.
