One year ago, it was only the NHL or OHL for Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Easton Cowan. However, now, it'll be NHL or AHL for the 20-year-old.
Cowan is one of 48 players at Toronto's development camp this summer. He's one of two, however—along with London Knights teammate Landon Sim—who are remaining off the ice for the entire week.
"He's played over 100 games the last couple of seasons, so it was more just allow him to have a bit of recovery time," Maple Leafs assistant GM, player development, Hayley Wickenheiser, said on Thursday.
The fact that Toronto is giving their 2023 first-round (28th overall) pick all the opportunity to rest before Maple Leafs training camp is interesting, but not surprising. They're allowing him to stay off the ice, away from the nearly two-hour ice sessions (only behind the glass), to prepare for what comes later this summer.
"He's going to have a big few months here coming up and allow him to train, more importantly off the ice right now," Wickenheiser added, "put on some of the weight that he's lost through the season, and just get some rest."
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Cowan has accomplished everything at the junior level after winning the Memorial Cup with the Knights on June 1. His 39 points (13 goals and 26 assists) in 17 games led all OHL players in playoff points, and his three goals and four assists in five games at the Memorial Cup earned him the tournament's MVP honors.
"This time last year, I wasn’t as good as I am now," Cowan said on Thursday at Maple Leafs development camp. "Just being able to manage the puck better, I’ve learned that a lot this year, and obviously with the Knights organization, they helped me out a lot.
"I felt when games got bigger, I got better. Those are the games I love to play in, when there’s a lot of people watching and there’s high stakes."
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Entering training camp last fall, one of the topics surrounding Cowan's game was the junior habits that he still possessed. There were moments when he looked timid, too, which ultimately led to Toronto returning him to London in October.
"I think he made a big jump this year," Wickenheiser affirmed.
"The intangibles he brings, he plays with a lot of passion, a lot of drive. But just in terms of the way he played and conducted himself as a leader and an impact player, especially in the Memorial Cup, produced, led the team, and the habits that he needs to play pro, we saw improve in the latter half of the year this year."
Cowan still needs to prove, though, that the pro habits have been expelled from his game. It's one thing to see it disappear against OHL talent. It's another to watch it vanish versus NHL competition.
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"In junior, you can get away with long shifts and lagging, not tracking back pucks, things like that, and we talk a lot with him about the things that will translate to being an everyday impactful pro player," said Wickenheiser.
"Cleaning up those areas of the ice, being able to play on the inside, to play with pace day in and day out, and just to be physically strong so that when he comes in, he can handle the grind that it is."
Cowan said that he'd ideally like to get his weight to 190 pounds by the end of this summer, adding that 187 could be the more achievable goal. "Add some more cornerweight on me and keep my speed," the forward said.
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With Wickenheiser applauding Cowan for ridding the junior habits from his game in the latter half of his OHL season, it'll be up to him to prepare for what's next: a possible NHL position with the Maple Leafs.
"I have the chance to get a job, and that’s up to me to go out there and show what I can do and play my game," Cowan said. "Still a couple months away, so I’m going to take every day day-by-day and just keep getting better."
What Toronto does in the rest of the offseason will help in determining where Cowan could end up in training camp. If the Maple Leafs acquire another top-six forward, Cowan could be battling for a bottom-six spot.
That could already be the case, though, with players like newly-acquired Matias Maccelli—plus Max Domi, who's had success playing with Auston Matthews before—potentially getting an opportunity ahead of Cowan.
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If that's indeed the case, it'll be an uphill battle for the young forward. But, we've witnessed Cowan turn heads before, so it'd be unfair to say it's unattainable this time around.
"Time will tell. I guess that's the question that we all are asking ourselves," said Wickenheiser of Cowan making the NHL roster.
"But my money's on him that he will be fit enough and prepared enough, the experience to be able to step in and play will be — we'll see probably very quickly when (training) camp starts."
(Top photo of Cowan: John E. Sokolowski / Imagn Images)