Easton Cowan Could Be Ready for a Big Second-Year Jump
Sometimes the most interesting part of a prospect story isn’t when someone gets it right. It’s when someone looks back and admits they got it wrong. That’s what happened with Scott Wheeler and Easton Cowan.
Wheeler recently acknowledged that he was too low on Cowan heading into the 2023 NHL Draft. In his final draft rankings, Wheeler had Cowan sitting at No. 97, while the Maple Leafs selected him 28th overall. At the time, that pick raised some eyebrows. NHL Central Scouting had Cowan ranked much lower among North American skaters, and there were people around the league who wondered if Toronto had reached.
Looking back now, Wheeler’s point is that the Maple Leafs saw something others missed.
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What did hockey analysts miss about Cowan and why will it matter?
Cowan’s development after the draft changed the conversation quickly. He dominated the OHL, won the league’s Most Outstanding Player award, was named playoff MVP, and became one of the most decorated players in London Knights history. He wasn’t just collecting points; he was driving play, creating offence, and showing the kind of competitiveness that scouts love.
And that’s the part that makes his second NHL season so interesting. The first year for a young player is usually about surviving. The speed is different, the schedule is different, and every mistake gets exposed. Cowan’s challenge wasn’t proving he had skill. It was learning how to use that skill against NHL players who are bigger, faster, and smarter defensively.
In season two, Cowan gets to build on that initial foundation.
The jump from Year 1 to Year 2 can be a big one because young players stop thinking as much. They know where they need to be, they understand the pace, and they start playing instinctively. For Cowan, that could mean more confidence with the puck, more patience offensively, and a better understanding of when to attack and when to simplify.
Wheeler noted that Cowan can still get a little tunnel vision with the puck at times. That’s probably the next step. The same confidence that makes him dangerous also has to be balanced with better reads of the play. But the team didn’t draft Cowan because they thought he was a finished product. They drafted him because they believed his work ethic, hockey sense, and competitiveness would allow him to keep improving.
And now, even someone who ranked him 97th is saying Toronto probably had it right.
Cowan knows he belongs. Now what can he become in Year 2?
The interesting question for the Maple Leafs isn’t whether Cowan belongs. He has already answered that. The question is how much bigger his role can become in Year 2. If the game slows down for him the way it often does for young players, Cowan could be one of the Maple Leafs’ most important internal improvements next season.