Maple Leafs AGM reveals the likelihood of Easton Cowan making the NHL this year

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Mike Armenti
July 4, 2024 (10:33)

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Photo credit: Natalie Shaver - OHL Images

Maple Leafs assistant GM, Dr. Hayley Wickenheiser, spoke from Leafs Development Camp on Wednesday, revealing how likely Easton Cowan is to make the jump to the NHL this year.

The Maple Leafs surprised everyone last summer when they went off the board in the late stages of the 1st round of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, selecting London Knights standout Easton Cowan with the 28th overall pick.

After a breakout season with London this year, nobody doubts this kid's skill level anymore and now it appears as though he may, in fact, make a push for the NHL this season.

Wickenheiser was among the Leafs brass present for the event, working on some of the key areas of development for these young players, and when asked about Cowan's chances of making the NHL in 2024-25 out of training camp, she couldn't help but beam about the top prospect, highlighting his work ethic as one of the reasons why he has a good chance to make the NHL.

"I�think he's going to make a push [to earn a spot in the NHL]. I think t's always hard to take that jump from junior to the NHL. That's a pretty big step, but he's proven everybody wrong at every level, so I don't put it past him.

He's going to have to come into camp, and really, the defensive aspect of the game will be key for him to be able to check and stay up to the pace of the play, not just the offensive side of the game, but, I mean, he's very close and it will be exciting to watch."

Cowan improved upon a 53-point season in 2022-23 to the tune of 34 goals and 96 points in 2023-24, putting to rest any doubts about his skill level, which appears to be quite high.

Cowan was one of the Leafs' final cuts last year in camp, so we do know that he has it in him to keep up with the pace of the NHL. The only real concern here is the schedule. The NHL has a much busier schedule and with the intensity and speed of the game being that much higher than it is in the various junior leagues, it can sometimes be an issue for players to adjust to that and still be able to maintain the same level of energy throughout the 82-game season.

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POLL
4 JUILLET \| 436 ANSWERS Maple Leafs AGM reveals the likelihood of Easton Cowan making the NHL this year If Easton Cowan does play in the NHL this season, how many games do you think he'll get?
▢ 4 or less, similar to Fraser Minten last year
▢ 5-9, they won't burn a year of his ELC
▢ 10-50, he'll play a lot, but not every night
▢ More than 50, he'll see action all year long