The story of Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Easton Cowan is one that Leafs nation will be following closely in the coming weeks. With NHL training camps on the horizon, the young forward has made his intentions clear – he wants to make the club’s opening night roster. His offseason has been marked by dedication and a desire to reach the next level, a process that has not gone unnoticed by his strength and conditioning coach, Trevor Williamson.
Williamson, the director of strength and conditioning at ‘Epic Sports Centre’ near Cowan’s hometown of Mount Brydges, as well as the head strength and conditioning coach with the London Knights, has worked closely with Cowan throughout the summer to help him prepare for the next phase of his career.
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In an exclusive one-on-one interview with TSN’s Mark Masters on Saturday, Williamson detailed Cowan’s offseason determination, progress, and readiness to compete for a spot with the Leafs out of training camp following the disappointing finish at the 2024 Memorial Cup.
“When he came back (from the Memorial Cup), you could see it on his face – he was rattled, so sad about it. But he used that every single day,” Williamson told Masters. “It was kind of like an ongoing joke in the summer: little inches every single day are going to make the difference. He used that for fuel. He wants to win. He hated how he lost – I mean we all did – but you can tell that deeply motivated him.”
“I think he’s going to be phenomenal (this season). This might have been his best offseason yet, he’s worked so hard, he’s gotten way stronger, his speed and power – everything has gone up. He is crushing it. He knows what it means to be a pro.”
“He’s gotten way stronger. His speed, his power, everything’s gone up. He’s crushing it”
Strength & conditioning coach Trevor Williamson offers inside look at Easton Cowan’s quest to make Leafs
“Just the size that he’s put on, he’s definitely capable”👇https://t.co/2qCEEZCwsU
— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) September 7, 2024
Despite virtually accomplishing everything he could in junior, aside from winning a Memorial Cup, Cowan believes there is still room for improvement. The jump from junior to pro is significant, particularly when it comes to strength, muscle, and size. Cowan has worked tirelessly this offseason, with noticeable improvements as he prepares for NHL-level competition.
“Just trying to get him ready for the pros in the sense of getting a little bit bigger, more size, more muscle – that’s always what the NHL teams want,” Williamson said. “But maintaining that speed, that power, that agility. A lot of emphasis on putting on good solid muscle but getting faster, getting quicker, more agile, staying at his top speed and making him as efficient as possible that way.”
What has been most notable to Williamson is Cowan’s mentality to ‘be the best.’ Known for his competitive nature, the 19-year-old is focused on excelling in areas that he can control.
“If someone is doing something after their workout where they need to improve their conditioning, Cowan’s like, ‘I’m doing that, like what are we doing, let’s go.’ He’s just constantly trying to get better at that stuff,” Williamson emphasized.
“He would just never shy away from the stuff that’s not really the most fun in the gym but it’s very, very important. And yeah, he just knows, he’s like, ‘I want to be the most conditioned athlete on the ice, off the ice. I want to do the best at things I can control directly.’”
Related: Maple Leafs Prospect Rankings #6 – Easton Cowan
The player known as the ‘Cowboy’ opted to skip the Knights’ training camp in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) to focus on the Leafs’ rookie and main camp. At 19, Cowan has two options: he can either play for the Leafs in the NHL or return to the OHL and play his fourth season with the Knights. The first step in proving himself was announced on Tuesday, as Cowan was named to the Leafs’ prospect roster for the Prospect Showdown in Montreal this weekend.
Related: Easton Cowan, Fraser Minten Among Maple Leafs Named to Toronto’s Prospects Showdown Roster in Montreal
“I think it’s great for him,” Williamson said. “Just more time with grown-ups – full-fledged NHL adults and amazing hockey athletes. Guys that are up and coming, your AHL guys, so getting to workout with them, skate with them, practice with them, just kind of develop at that NHL level is phenomenal exposure for him. It’s definitely going to be faster, more advanced, so I think that a terrific kind of addition to his end-of-season training is to just go and tune up and get ready for the pros.”
When asked if he believes Cowan could crack the Maple Leafs’ lineup this season, Williamson sounded optimistic.
“I think he probably could. It’s so hard to guess and say where he’s going to end up, but the size that he’s put on – he’s definitely capable. His maturity is there, his thought process is there, his attitude is one hundred percent there, and his work ethic is going to be with the top guys on the team – no matter where he ends up. I think he definitely could, he’s ready.”
“Easton just picks things up very quickly and if he’s bad at it, he will work harder than anybody to get good at it.”
As NHL training camps approach, all eyes will be on Cowan to see if his offseason dedication earns him a spot on the Leafs’ roster. The former first-round pick (28th overall) in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft has continued to impress, and making the team remains his top priority, as he stated on the final day of development camp in July.
“I want to make the team,” Cowan told reporters. “That’s always been my goal. I want to play in the NHL one day, and I’m feeling very confident, so I’ve just got to come into camp, and be a very reliable player, someone the coach can trust. I’ve just got to learn game management a bit better, and I think I’ll be good.”
Related: “I Want To Make The Team, That’s Always Been My Goal’: Easton Cowan Sets His Sights on Making the Maple Leafs Following Development Camp
Cowan had a career-high 96 points in 54 regular season games, surpassing his previous 53-point total in 2022-23. He led the London Knights to an OHL championship (the J. Ross Robertson Cup) and a Memorial Cup Final berth. During the playoffs, Cowan led the league with 34 points (10G, 24A) and earned the Wayne Gretzky 99 Award as OHL Playoff MVP.
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