As the Toronto Maple Leafs regular season is wrapping up, all their prospects from the 2023 NHL Entry Draft have either had their seasons ended or are in the middle of the playoffs.
With just three players picked for the Toronto Maple Leafs in last summer's draft we are going to take a look at how their first season went after being selected.
Easton Cowan - 1st Round, 28th Overall
Former general manager Kyle Dubas traded away Rasmus Sandin at the 2022-23 trade deadline to obtain a first round pick from the Washington Capitals. That pick would be the 28th overall selection and team went to a familiar stomping grounds for prospects and that was the London Knights when they selected Easton Cowan.
Cowan was coming off his first full season in the Ontario Hockey League where he had a modest 20-goals and 53-points through 68 games and to say he exploded this past season would be an understatement.
During training camp coach Sheldon Keefe got as long of a look as possible at Cowan and was thoroughly impressed to the point that the feisty winger had a late start to his Knights season because he remained with the Maple Leafs.
Cowan would explode with nine points in his first four games back with the Knights and then found himself selected to Team Canada for the World Junior Championship tournament over Christmas where he collected a pair of points in five games.
During his OHL season, Cowan collected points in all but five games, including getting himself on the score sheet in every game since late November. The Mount Brydges native would finish with the second highest points per game in the OHL, while finishing tied for sixth in league scoring despite missing games due to Maple Leafs training camp and the World Juniors.
Could Cowan Make the 2024-25 Maple Leafs?
Cowan helped lead the Knights to the regular season OHL title which has led to a first round playoff series against the Flint Firebirds where the Maple Leafs top prospect collected a goal in a 3-0 Game 1 victory. If the playoffs go as well as the season, Cowan could be playing for a Memorial Cup this spring.
Once the fall comes, there is a legitimate chance that Cowan pushes for a spot on the Maple Leafs roster next season.
The Toronto Maple Leafs 2023 NHL Entry Draft Class
Hudson Malinoski - 5th Round, 153rd Overall
The Maple Leafs used their fifth round selection on Saskatoon born Hudson Malinoski who was coming off his first year playing Junior A hockey for the Brooks Bandits in the Alberta Junior Hockey League where he collected 69 points in 44 games.
Malinoski would go on to play in the NCAA this past season for Providence College where he helped his club to a fourth place regular season finish.
Providence was one of the lower scoring teams as they collected just 100 goals through 35 games and Malinoski finished tied for second on his team with nine goals.
Unfortunately the season was cut short when Providence were upset by UMass in the Hockey East quarterfinals. The Maple Leafs prospect now has the summer to train and prepare for his second season of college hockey.
Noah Chadwick - 6th Round, 185th Overall
A very interesting prospect is Noah Chadwick who the Maple Leafs selected in the sixth round. The 6'4" defenseman went from collecting 20-points in his draft eligible year to nearly tripling that total this year as he finished with 56-points in 66 games.
He impressed Maple Leafs management so much that he was signed to an Entry Level Contract just before Christmas.
Currently, Chadwick's WHL team, the Lethbridge Hurricanes are in the midst of the playoffs, however, they lost their first game to the Swift Current Broncos. It is likely his playoffs will be quick, so their is a possibility that he joins the Toronto Marlies to gain some development opportunities.
Look for Chadwick's name to come up when Team Canada starts preparing their team for next year's World Junior tournament.