Going into Wednesday night’s draft the Toronto Maple Leafs had just one selection in the first round, which was 28th overall. The pick came was the Boston Bruins selection that the team acquired along with Erik Gustafsson from Washington in exchange for Rasmus Sandin.
The Toronto Maple Leafs went a bit off the board when they selected Easton Cowan who was previously ranked by the NHL as the 51st top North American Skater.
There are several different opinions you can take on draft rankings, The Hockey News had Cowan as the #78 prospect, while TSN’S Craig Button had him as high as #34.
Cowan is a 5’10”, 170 lbs winger that turned 18 in late May and finished his first full season in the Ontario Hockey League. He played wing for the London Knights who drafted him 25th overall in the 2021 OHL draft at which point he suited up for seven games as a 16-year old collecting a goal and an assist. He spent the majority of that season playing Junior “A” for the Komoka Kings where he notched 34 points in 24 games.
Toronto Maple Leafs: Easton Cowan’s Season Continually Got Better
This past season Cowan had a modest 20-goals and 53 points in 68 regular season games, but increased his output in the playoffs with 21-points in 20 games.
Cowan’s productive season led to him being named to the OHL second All-Rookie Team.
Cowan stated in a post draft interview that he models his game after former London Knights forward and Maple Leafs first rounder Nazem Kadri, as well as James Van Riemsdyk.
He believed that his “hound mentality” helped him get drafted as high as he did.
The London Knights now have four players ever drafted in the first round by the Toronto Maple Leafs, as he joins Kadri, along with Darryl Sittler and Mitch Marner.
There is no rush for Cowan to join the Maple Leafs and he will return London Knights where he will look to get back to the OHL Championship Series. Cowan and the Knights won the Eastern Conference Championship, but lost out in the OHL finals in six games to the Peterborough Petes.