A Closer Look at the New Prospects the Toronto Maple Leafs Drafted

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The Toronto Maple Leafs only had three draft selections in the 2023 NHL draft and they were able to draft some decent players.

On day one of the draft, the Toronto Maple Leafs selected forward Easton Cowan in the first round with the 28th overall pick.

On day two, they chose center Hudson Malinoski 153rd overall and defenseman Noah Chadwick 185th overall.

With only three picks in this draft, the Leafs hope that quality is better than quantity.

The more prospects a team has, the better chance of seeing a few of them reach the NHL.

You’d like to see the team make more selections, but the price of being a competitive team is that you have to trade your picks for immediate help.

With the NHL draft happening so close to the start of free agency, the players chosen can quickly be forgotten about.

Which is understandable, considering they won’t be helping the NHL club anytime soon.

Here is a closer look at each of the Toronto Maple Leafs newest draftees.

Toronto Maple Leafs Newest Draftees

Easton Cowan

The 18-year-old Easton Cowan is from Mount Brydges, Ontario, Canada.

While many people criticized the Leafs for not trading down to select a lower-ranked prospect, I see the fact that they liked this player enough to select him here as a good sign.

There is no team that would have viewed the Ontario based London Knights as much as the Leafs and they clearly liked what they saw.

Sure, you can trade down, but there is no guarantee that another team doesn’t also like the player you consider a diamond in the rough.

Cowan registered 20 goals and 33 assists for 53 points in 68 games for the London Knights of the OHL last season.

He also recorded 21 points in 20 playoff games last season.
(Stats from eliteprospects.com)

Cowan said he tries to model his game after Nazem Kadri and James Van Riemsdyk.

The Toronto Maple Leafs Director of Amateur Scouting, Wes Clark, said Toronto emphasized two traits going into the draft, Intelligence, and Competitiveness. Cowan scores highly in both categories.

Cowan grew up being a fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs, and he’s a fan of Mitch Marner.

One player used as an NHL comparable for Cowan is Brayden Point. If Toronto gets anything similar out of Cowan once he makes the NHL, they’ll be more than happy. (all stats eliteprospects.com).

Jun 1, 2023; Toronto, Ontario, CANADA; Toronto Maple Leafs new general manager Brad Treliving is introduced Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports /

Hudson Malinoski

Hudson Malinoski is a 19-year-old center from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. He registered 16 goals and 53 assists for 69 points in 44 games with the Brooks Bandits in the AJHL. Malinoski is committed to Providence College in the NCAA next season.

The Toronto Maple Leafs 5th-round selection is lucky to be playing hockey.

In 2017, while shoveling snow on his roof to make a snowboard ramp for himself and his friend, Malinoski slipped and fell about 12 feet. He was taken to the emergency room at a Saskatoon hospital and given an initial diagnosis of a concussion.

His injury turned out to be much worse. Malinoski had a torn vertebral artery in his neck. It supplies blood to the brain and, if left untreated, could have caused a stroke or aneurysm. He wasn’t sure if he’d ever play hockey again, but he recovered from surgery and has now been drafted to the NHL.

Noah Chadwick

Noah Chadwick is an 18-year-old, 6’4, 190 Lbs defenseman from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. He registered five goals and 15 assists for 20 points in 67 games for the Lethbridge Hurricanes in the WHL last season.

Next. The Top 10 Goalies of the Leafs Since 1990. dark

Hopefully, Chadwick will improve with more playing time this season and work on filling out his 6’4 frame. Toronto could benefit from having a big defenseman patrolling the blueline. One more year in the WHL before joining the Toronto Marlies is his most likely path toward playing in the NHL.

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