It’s safe to say the Toronto Maple Leafs made headlines at the 2023 NHL Entry Draft when they selected 28th overall in the first round and took a player that was expected to go somewhere in the third round by most rankers around the hockey world.
However, after the panic and worry around Leafs Nation settled on the fact that the Maple Leafs had selected Easton Cowan out of the London Knights organization and more came to light on just who this player is, the frustration of another small, skilled forward began to surface from those same headstrong, old-schoolers that haven’t adapted to today’s game.
So, to relinquish some of the doubt and worry around the Maple Leafs’ selection, the Sticks in the 6ix podcast invited in-game host for the Knights, Kyle Grimard, onto their show to discuss Cowan’s play for the Knights in depth — giving a little more insight to the player and the person joining Leafs Nation.
Cowan Developing Amongst Hockey Royalty in London
Forget for a second that Cowan is listed at under six feet and around 170 pounds — we’ll touch on that soon enough. Instead, let’s focus on the fact that he’s already a highly intelligent hockey player that sees the ice incredibly well.
His hockey IQ is only matched by his quickness on the ice and his ability to possess the puck is one of his top qualities. It’s also one of the main reasons why he’s been given opportunities in all situations for a Knights team that historically favours its veteran players.
Still, one full OHL season under his belt and Cowan is projecting to be quite the player next season for the Knights. Year one saw the 18-year-old tally his first 20-goal season for a total of 53 points in 68 regular season games. That comes just one season after starting the year with the GOJHL’s Komoka Kings in 2021-22.
He added another 21 points in 20 playoff games for the Knights on their run to the OHL Final before losing to the Peterborough Petes. But his play throughout the year was impressive — likely part of the reason he moved up so high in the draft.
On top of that, Cowan’s been given the opportunity to learn and develop in an organization that has pumped out NHL talent and first-round talent at that when it comes to the NHL Draft. That’s something that Grimard says is a testament to the hands-on approach of the Hunters — Mark and Dale.
“Well, I think they’re a lot more hands on than a lot of people that don’t follow the organization realize,” said Grimard on the podcast. “Mark Hunter, on game days, is walking around the building. He’s not just sitting up in the suites observing. He’s walking around. You know, he’s talking to players who aren’t playing in that game. Guys who are scratched. Under age guys to NCAA tournaments. They’re almost red-shirting their rookie years. They’re not playing, but they’re getting a sense of the culture. They’re getting a sense of how things go over there. But I also think that the Hunters just do a good job of understanding the players types and the culture that they want coming in. And a really underrated part of what they do is when they recognize that a player isn’t working out they find a situation and a place where they can go and thrive.”
To further his point, Grimard noted that for players like Cowan, the Hunters don’t push players to be better, rather they put them in positions to succeed within the organization.
“The Hunters don’t put players in positions they don’t think they’re ready for or they don’t think they can challenge,” he said.
That said, there are still going to be the doubters that don’t believe he has what it takes to make it in the NHL. More specifically, there are some that still believe he may be a wasted pick for the Maple Leafs when it comes to first-round selections.
Cowan is More Than Just a Small Forward
So, with that in mind, let’s focus now on his size as it will surely be a point of discussion until the day he sets foot on an NHL ice surface for the first time. Even with possession, hockey IQ and speed that makes him a constant threat offensively, why should people believe that Cowan is first-round worthy.
As Grimard explained, Cowan brings so much more to the game than his skill level and size shouldn’t be the focus when talking about the the Knights’ forward.
“It’s easy to look at those metrics and assume that he doesn’t go into the corners and that he’s not physical and that he doesn’t battle. And all you have to do is watch. All he does, he’s the energy bug. He was on a line with Ryan Winterton, who is a draft pick of the Seattle Kraken, and Denver Barkey and they made up the Twinterton Line. It was the best line in the OHL playoffs and he was the guy that was getting the pucks. He was retrieving it. He was battling. He was throwing his body around. He was driving to the front of the net. All I can say is a guy like that, he missed Game 3 of the OHL Final with an illness — him and [Denver] Barkey — and they were sorely missed and they ended up losing that game. He ended up returning for Game 4 and all he did a minute and thirty second in was open the scoring by hustling in on the forecheck, beating the defender to the puck, outmuscling him, driving to the front of the net and scoring. If those aren’t intangibles that you want in a first-round pick or in general, I don’t know what is. I think he has every element to be a regular NHLer.”
Grimard on Cowan’s size not being a factor
As for how Cowan sees himself, he believes he can play the game in all situations and in all zones on the ice.
“I think I’m a 200-foot player,” said Cowan at Maple Leafs development camp. “I like to hound pucks. I like to use my skating ability and my hockey sense to create plays along the ice, and I like to lead on the ice and off the ice by example.”
Cowan’s ability to play both sides of the puck was the eventual turnaround to his rookie season with the Knights — a season in which he split between a slow 34-game start and a hot 34-game finish, recording 30 points over that final span.
He played in all situations with the Knights, which tends to be a rarity when you’re a young player within the organization. In one instance in the playoffs, Cowan even killed off over a minute of a Sarnia Sting power play by possessing the puck on his own.
Still, he’s said that he has two goals this summer — to work on his shot and to gain strength, be it height or weight.
Cowan Will Be A Leader on the Knights
Off the ice, Cowan is a vocal player who is always talking on the bench amongst his teammates. Grimard referenced videos that the Knights have posted on social media and how it gives those outside the room a better idea of just who Cowan is around his teammates.
As for the personality, he admits that he gained a lot of confidence in 2022-23 under Dale Hunter and that his play was influenced by his growth as a person away from the ice as well.
Grimard says that he remembers interviewing a 16-year-old Cowan after his first OHL game and the poise he spoke with even in that moment — going as far as saying that he wouldn’t be surprised if Cowan wears the ‘C’ for the Knights at some point during his OHL career.
Related: London Knights Continue to Produce NHL Talent in 2023 NHL Draft
As for who he reminds us of, Grimard said off the air that he resembles a Connor Brown type of player on the ice, while Cowan himself says he models his game after another former Knight — Nazem Kadri — who is also known for his talk and backing it up.
Let’s not forget, even Kadri is only six-feet and 185 pounds and he doesn’t exactly have the skating ability that Cowan does. So, with that, maybe size isn’t everything after all.
