Maple Leafs Prospect Easton Cowan Shares Surprising Take on the Hit That Left Him Injured
Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Toronto Maple Leafs top prospect Easton Cowan has spoken out for the first time and addressed the heavy hit in open ice from Zach Sandhu that left him injured and unable to play during Canada's World Junior Selection Camp.
The hit forced Cowan out of the game, but the young forward is now fully recovered and preparing to join Team Canada in the upcoming World Junior Championship, which begins December 26 in Ottawa. Surprisingly, even without participating in selection camp, Cowan has made the team.
Cowan reflected on the hit, which he surprisingly referred to as a clean one, as per TSN's Mark Masters on X:
''It was a clean hit. I had my head down. I just have to be more aware. Unfortunately I didn't see him coming. Usually I can see that, but didn't see it there. I'm pretty sure I'll be more aware now.''
Fortunately, Cowan was able to recover quickly and is healthy enough to compete for Canada in the World Juniors. In a stroke of luck, Cowan also registered a point before leaving the game, extending his historic OHL point streak, that now sits at 56 games. Of course, Cowan's record remains unofficial, since it spreads across two seasons.
In that same game, Cowan surpassed Toronto Maple Leafs legend Doug Gilmour's OHL point streak, that sat at 55 games. Gilmour recently reached out to Cowan, which is something the Leafs prospect won't soon forget.
As per Mark Masters on X:
''Obviously it's cool. He's a Leafs legend, so to get that text meant a lot to me, but I couldn't have done it without my teammates.''
With his historic point streak and now a spot on Team Canada, Cowan is poised to make an even bigger splash on the world stage at the World Junior Championship tournament, where the spotlight will be at its brightest and where heroes are made at the best on best tournament, which includes some of hockey's brightest young stars.
Previously on MapleLeafsDaily
POLL |
DECEMBRE 16 | 2843 ANSWERS Maple Leafs Prospect Easton Cowan Shares Surprising Take on the Hit That Left Him Injured Will Easton Cowan lead the Canadian World Junior Squad to gold? |
Yes | 2225 | 78.3 % |
No | 618 | 21.7 % |
List of polls |
|
31 minutes ago | By Mike Armenti Maple Leafs' Starting Goalie Decision Coming Out of the Break Paints a Clearer Picture in Net |
|
1 hour ago | By TJ Tucker Maple Leafs Officially Shut Down Forward for Pair of Upcoming Games |
|
3 hours ago | By Nick Matthews John Tavares Reveals Why He Missed Canada's 4 Nations Face-Off Win Over Team USA |
|
15 hours ago | By Ryan Smitheram Insider Reveals Leafs May Target Star Winger at Deadline If Hurricanes Decide to Flip Him |
|
17 hours ago | By Nick Matthews Ex-NHLer Calls Out USA for Unsportsmanlike Behaviour After 4 Nations Face-Off Loss to Canada |
|
18 hours ago | By Dean Chaudhry Matthew Knies Reportedly Loses Bet With Head Coach Craig Berube Over 4 Nations Face-Off |
|
20 hours ago | By Ryan Smitheram Maple Leafs Reveal Line Combinations for First Game Back After 4 Nations Face-Off |
|
23 hours ago | By Mike Armenti Jon Cooper Reveals Why He Reunited Marner and McDavid Prior to 4 Nations OT Winner |