Fraser Minten and Easton Cowan Shine for the Leafs in Prospect Showcase

The 2024 Prospect Showcase began with a bang on Saturday, when Leafs prospect Chas Sharpe dropped the gloves with Montreal's Florian Xhekaj just two minutes in, and tbe day continued with plenty of goals on both sides.

Things could get very interesting in training camp this summer for the Leafs, as both Fraser Minten and Easton Cowan look to be in phenomenal shape coming into this weekend, just ahead of next week's opening day of camp. The Leafs have limited roster spots available this year, and with PTOs for Max Pacioretty and Steven Lorentz, the pressure is really on Cowan and Minten to perform.

Well, message received, as both Leafs rookies got on the board early in the first game of Saturday's Showcase.

After both getting on the board in regulation, with the game tied 3-3 in the shootout, it was Minten, AKA "Minty Fresh" who played hero for the Maple Leafs, scoring the shootout-winning tally.

Cowan is coming off of a thrilling season in the OHL, where he secured both regular season and playoffs MVP honours during his OHL championship run with the London Knights. Meanwhile, Minten had a bit of an underwhelming season, likely due to a trade from the Kamloops Blazers to Saskatoon Blades last year. He also captained Team Canada at last year's World Junior Championship tourney, though Canada was bounced before the medal rounds.

It's very early, but both Cowan and Minten appear to have put in the work this summer as both goals were relatively effortless. Leafs training camp should be quite entertaining, given what we're seeing at the Prospect Showcase.