The Leafs didn't have an overly busy draft this year, heading into the draft with only 3 picks. There were also no trades on day one of the draft, which is the first time in 16 years that that had happened on night one of the draft.
There was something rather significant about the Leafs' 2023 draft class - they drafted all Canadians. This is the first time in 42 years that the Leafs targeted all Canadians in a single draft, with the last occurrence being in 1981. Cowan, 18, hails from Strathroy, Ontario. Malinoski, 19, is from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and Chadwick, 18, is also from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
I'm not sure if the Leafs had identified some sort of a market inefficiency regarding Canadian-born prospects for a few years there, but now, having selected 6 Canadians with their last 8 draft picks, it's safe to say that the Leafs don't appear to be shy about plucking home-grown talent anymore.