5 2024 NHL Draft Eligibles Who Could Be "The Next Easton Cowan"
Easton Cowan Came Out Of Almost Nowhere, Going From Relative Unknown To 1st Round Draft Pick In A Year. Here's 5 Players This Year Who May Follow A Similar Path.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are extremely happy with last year's draft pick.
No one, not even the Toronto Maple Leafs themselves, could have seen Easton Cowan coming, at least as someone taken in the first round and later named to Team Canada at the World Juniors, perhaps not even his London Knights or Cowan himself.
After a decent year in the GOJHL with Komoka, Cowan, a second round pick of London in the 2021 OHL Priority Draft, was promoted to the OHL, with 2 Points in 7 Games in his DY-1 season.
A stunning draft season catapulted Cowan to being viewed as a legitimate prospect, but it wasn't until the Toronto Maple Leafs made the shock decision to take Cowan 28th Overall in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft that his name finally stuck.
The selection of Cowan divided fans at the time, worried the Leafs were treading back in the direction of taking swings on undersized forwards unknown to fans, and in one of the deepest drafts in history. It didn't take long for the Leafs scouting department to be forgiven, and rightfully so.
Truthfully, I didn't pay much attention to Cowan outside of his point totals, just assuming he was the product of a deep London Knights team. I was far more focused on his teammate Denver Barkey, now a prospect of the Philadelphia Flyers.
It wasn't until I watched Cowan at the end of the OHL season I saw how well-rounded and hard-working his game really was, topping that with a dominant OHL Cup run with 21 Points in 20 Games for London. This season, Cowan has continued his upward trajectory, named to Team Canada for the World Juniors, and now currently leading the OHL in PPG (1.82) at the time of writing, scoring 21 Goals and 62 Points in just 34 Games.
Here I will try to find players who, like Cowan, aren't highly talked about, but could take similar big swings and become meaningful top NHL prospects in the near future, and later, key NHL players.
I would include Luke Misa, who's taken big steps on a dominant Mississauga team this season, butt he's been given a big boost in the rankings already, ranked 16th by Dobber Prospects and 27th by EliteProspects (where all stats from this article come from), on top of being the older brother of Michael Misa, a projected top 3 pick next year.
It seems already known Misa's a prospect to keep an eye on. The same goes to Michael Hage. The Mississauga-born Center missed the majority of last season for Chicago due to injury, but has re-emerged in draft discussions, ranked 32nd by Craig Button and 36th by Bob McKenzie.
1 - Sam O'Reilly - C - London (OHL)
2023-24 - OHL - 46GP 15G 28A 43P
The easiest comparison to make out of anyone in this draft as the closest to Easton Cowan is a player who's gone through the same development as the Leafs first rounder.
Not only are Cowan and O'Reilly currently teammates, but the two took similar career paths. Like Cowan, O'Reilly spent his DY-1 season in the GOJHL, O'Reilly netting 26 Goals with 37 Assists for 63 points in 35 Games for the London Nationals, along with 5 games for the Knights. O'Reilly had a 1.8PPG in the GOJHL vs Cowan's 1.42.
Like Cowan, O'Reilly's offense has translated to the OHL, with O'Reilly having 15 Goals, 28 Assists & 43 Points for the Knights this season, leading OHL Rookies in scoring. O'Reilly and Cowan has played as temmates in recent games, with the two having strong chemistry. O'Reilly's faceoff abilities has pushed Cowan to the wing when they play together.
O'Reilly doesn't have the high-end transition game and puck carrying skill Cowan has, but is a good playmaker with a solid defensive game, willing to challenge at both ends of the ice. He may not go as high as Cowan, but has a solid foundation to replicate his London teammate.
What made Cowan able to stand out to scouts was an elite playoff performance. With the Knights currently one of the top teams in the OHL, expect O'Reilly to be given a strong chance to prove himself as a top prospect in a top-six role for a contending Knights squad.
2 - Jett Luchanko - Centre - Guelph (OHL)
2023-24 - 45GP 15G 36A 51P
I didn't include Luke Misa and Michael Hage because they've already gained their dues from public scouts, but Jett Luchanko, who was ranked 26th on Bob McKenzie's rankings, compile from the opinions of NHL scouts, is notable as he lacks the hype of the other two, like Easton Cowan a slow climber upwards in the draft rankings.
Luchanko is a high-end playdriving forward who has also shown the ability to create himself as others.
He's a very unselfish player who constantly brings effort to each and every shift. Like Cowan, Luchanko excels in the role of an elite complimentary piece who could eventually grow to do those same things for himself.
Currently just over PPG in the OHL with 51 Points in 45 Games this season for the Guelph Storm, Luchanko leads Guelph in points, but don't let the fear he's succeeding on a bigger role from his peers question his upside, he's dominated much on his own. In terms of skill, Luchanko may be the most likely to shock in going much higher than people project, but unlike Cowan, this time around scouts may notice the talent possessed here much earlier.
Perhaps no one is a bigger Luchanko fan than EIL's own Nicolas Ferrari (@ShowtimeWagon) who's been driving the Luchanko hype train for a while now.
3 - Marek Vanacker - Left Wing - Brantford (OHL)
I was a bit worried the OHL wasn't as deep as last draft, especially at forward with Colby Barlow and Quentin Musty on top, and talented players behind such as Cowan, Calum Ritchie, Carson Rehkopf, Carey Terrance, Luca Pinelli & Nick Lardis, but players like Misa, O'Reilly, Luchanko & Vanacker have given the OHL some major boosts in it's futures.
Vanacker has been on a tear in recent games, with 11 goals and 18 points in his last 10.
The Brantford winger is a hard-working and mobile forward who has a strong shot and is great at finding open scoring chances. He's shown some decent playmaking at times, but is prevalent in the shooting option, his game is still very well-rounded, able to play with a physical edge and does well tracking the puck defensively. Vanacker also possesses strong puckhandling and control, making him difficult to stop when he gets the puck.
Vanacker's hot play has boosted his draft stock, ranked 25th by NHL Central Scouting for North American Skaters, making him a likely 2nd round pick, with the possibility to go late in the 1st. If his playmaking takes a big leap, he can be a big asset down the road.
Like the aforementioned players above, Vanacker is a player with a strong motor and drive who does well in impacting the game on offense. Unlike O'Reilly and Luchanko, Vanacker uses his natural offensive ability primarily as a goalscorer, 2nd in goals by a 2024 OHL draft eligible with 26, one shy of projected first rounder Liam Greentree.
It's hard to find a player as alert and ready on the ice at all times like Vanacker. A team like the Leafs for example have valued players such as him in the past such as Zach Hyman and Michael Bunting, skilled "glue guys" who can bring out the best in a top-six line. Vanacker could easily be viewed as a steal depending on where he ends up if all goes right, because he certainly has the IQ and intensity to make it happen.
4 - Heikki Ruohonen - Centre - KiekKo-Espoo U20 - (FIN-JR)
2023-24 19G 24A 43P
Leaving the OHL to give Europe some credit in the department of talented unknowns of note, Heikki Ruohonen was a player I had little knowledge of before getting a viewing of him a month ago.
I had watched a game of his back in October but didn't think he stood out, or I didn't pay enough attention. I did make the same mistake throughout last year with Cowan, focusing more on fellow draftee Denver Barkey.
Ruohonen is a fast skating forward with a great shot and compete level. You'll start to notice a pattern that one big value in draft prospects for me is energy and competitiveness, and Ruohonen carries both of those traits.
Like Marek Vanacker, Ruohonen has been on a nice recent scoring streak, with 8 Goals and 18 Points in his last 10 games. At 6'1 and 200lbs, Ruohonen has a good body frame that he's used more as he's becoming a top option for Kiekko-Espoo. His 24 assists & 43 points leads the Finnish U20, his 19 goals 2nd. I think both are equally useful weapons in his game.
What stood out most in Ruohonen's game is how ahead he seems of everyone else. At times he looks highly aware and ahead of everyone else on the ice, although ironically he struggles at times due to seeming to anticipate quicker than his teammates can match.
Ruohonen seems like a plyer who can really excel with the right teammates, but does need to learn when to slow his game down, it'll do him good, even with play at a higher level. Any team that takes him could be getting a talented diamond in the rough. He's a very smart player who knows how to drive plays, and finish them as well.
5 - Lukas Fischer - LHD - Sarnia (OHL)
Unlike Easton Cowan, Fischer is a defenseman, but he may be the player who takes the biggest development swing next season.
A late 06 birthday, Fischer is just days away from being eligible for the 2025 NHL Draft. The son of former Detroit Red Wings D Jiri Fischer, Lukas plays an up-tempo two-way game with a lot of energy and intensity. Like his dad, Lukas is a massive force at 6'3 and 170lbs, he still has much in terms of filling out.
His numbers don't show a star player, with 4 Goals, 18 Assists & 22 Points, but he wouldn't be mentioned here if his stats told the whole story.
What makes Fischer so valuable to me is how he does everything right on the ice. On a Sarnia team that has had it's share of struggles throughout the year, Fischer has consistently been a bright spot, taking on the workload as a #1D at times. He played 24+ minutes in 9 of Sarnia's 12 games in January, with heavy time on the PP and PK. Much more impressive from one of the draft's youngest players.
Fischer plays with intensity and leadership at all 3 ends, able to play the role of shutdown defender and playmaker equally well, Fischer is one of the strongest puck carrying defenders in this draft class, a menace in transition both with and without the puck. His shooting consistency could use some work, but he's created some good chances, he'll have to work on building off feeds and shot accuracy.
As good as he plays on offense, what makes Fischer so captivating is how good he is on defense. It's not surprise with his ability to take on big minutes that he's a guy with great stamina. He's not the most physical player, but he is very good at applying pressure and making it difficult for offenses to create chances thanks to his vision and scanning abilities.
Fischer may take a while to develop, he's young and still finding his game, but he has the tools in place to be a top-four option, and could come into that game with the right development.
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You would hope he doesn't burn himself out in the process, but he's consistently playing heavy minutes with little issue, but as of now, his game is promising, but may take some time before Fischer really starts to jump out in the eyes of the hockey world.