Analyzing Easton Cowan's Performance at the 2024 World Juniors

Game Analysis

Shooting

Easton Cowan's sole goal of the World Juniors may have been an empty netter vs Germany, but that doesn't mean he didn't bring offensive value to Canada's lineup when needed.

One area where Cowan benefited Canada offensively was his ability to create chances off of stretch feeds from his temmates.

A few examples show Cowan getting shot attempts from gaining the puck and either gaining in through transition or finishing off deep passes for good opportunities for potential goals.

Cowan had a few other good looks on offense, showing some good scoring looks, as well as some creativity with the puck.

Playmaking

Cowan had plenty of strong scoring chances throughout the tournament, but I think it was his playmaking ability that stood out more at the World Juniors, more specifically his ability to create chances for his teammates, creating stretch passes and finding open players in scoring opportunities.

Against Czechia alone I found nearly a dozen examples of Cowan either finding or creating offensive options largely with his own doing. It shows that Cowan has the vision and IQ to be a strong setup option for a team,

Against Germany, Cowan largely filled his passing duties more in the opposing end. According to tracked data by SportContract, Cowan successfully completed 42/51 attempted passes against Czechia and Germany alone.

On the defensive end, Cowan wasn't a noticeably physical player, but what stands out in his game, and what likely helped in his score, is that when he's attempting defensive work, it's largely strategical as opposed to using his body.

Cowan has shown the ability to dig for pucks, pokecheck & even stick to players in 1v1. Unshockingly, as he is on the offensive end, Cowan is a tenacious player in the defensive zone as well, even if his results don't result in highlight-reel bodychecks.