Prospect Info: 2023 1st Rd Selection - #28 OA (via BOS, WSH) - C, Easton Cowan [London Knights, OHL; [Height 5.11 -- Weight 185]

[themilosh]

If you end up with a Michael Bunting with the 28th pick, you are pretty happy. People here are either dramatically overestimating the hit rates of the picks in the 25-32 range or have very unreasonable expectations. First round picks outside the top 20 are basically a 50/50 proposition to become a player of value (top 5 D-man, top 9 forward, starting goalie). Yes, a better player will likely be drafted after him, but actually identifying that player is going to be highly unlikely.

So what you're saying is the highly paid amateur scouting staff do nothing, and it really boils down to luck in the end?
Not that I disagree, but I tend to think there should only be 3 rounds total. All other players are free agents to sign where they may.

 

[zman77]

The Leafs got a good one!!
I wouldn't be surprised if he makes the Leafs in a year from now.

 

[TMLBlueandWhite]

He is far from the smaller player we have drafted before . He's the kind of player that team hate to play against a never give up attitude. He will do anything to get the puck back.

I have to rely on scouting and analyst reports because I don't watch any juniour games.

So I don't really know anything about this kid. From what I've gathered, it appears to be another reach on yet another undersized skilled forward. I can understand the reasoning behind their philosophy, but that doesn't mean I have to agree.

I'm really hoping Treliving brings a new direction to the scouting.

 

[Peasy]

I swear we coulda somehow got Leonard this draft and people would be complaining about his size.

 

[zman77]

 

[weems]

I've been saying it for a long time but this draft is extremely wide open. There are so many players that could rank anywhere from 10-60 on people's list.

So many people freaking out we didn't take "BPA". Well I bet you he was the BPA on their list. Just because he wasn't on yours, or a buncha other internet scouts lists.

They obviously really like him. People saying to trade back, it's highly plausible someone else would have taken him.

Never seen so many people freak out over a player they've never watched before, but I guess that's par for the course here.

Yep it's just insane but shows that many take these "public" rankings way too seriously.

Then you have people even going as far as saying the player is "soft" when basically all scouting reports say he's one of the more intense, competitive prospects.

Looks skilled, very creative, gritty and is said to be a hard worker. His stock really jumped after a very strong playoffs and that's a example of where actual NHL front offices that study every game tape and have scouts that have watched this guy going back to minor hockey can move him up way faster than people on the outside.

 

[justashadowof]

I'll defer to the professional scouts about this player versus other players available but I will say I found his highlight package underwhelming.

Minten may have had a poor playoffs in terms of production and injuries but he still screams NHL player with his size, shot and skating.

 

[Warden of the North]

Let's hope he's somewhere between Brendan Gallagher and Brayden Point.

I'm trying not to hold his size against him but he's just too much of the same of what we already have for me to very excited.

In Tre's defense of not trading back, no one else did it either. Doesn't seem like a trade was their to be made

 

[Trapper]

Sounds promising.
This is the DNA that you must possess with skill.
I’d rather someone with a little less top end skill and more jam than just skill and passive.
If you aren’t in the fight, no need to apply here.

 

[613Leafer]

Throw him on the pile with the other undersized moderately skilled forwards, with Lisowsky, Hirvonen, Holmberg, Moldenhauer, Ovchinnikov, Miettinen, Abbruzzese, Miller, Voit, Robertson, Schingoethe, Tverberg, SDA, etc.

I think that's probably the main criticism more so than the public draft rankings, is that this scouting department clearly has a type, and it clearly hasn't paid off yet. Knies was a big outlier pick for us where they finally took a forward with size, and surprise, almost as immediate impact.

I would have liked a guy like Dragicevic with the pick, but would love to be wrong and for Cowan to be a massive riser relative to his consensus draft rankings. But based on our history drafting small forwards, other than Robertson who has been derailed with injuries (a risk with smaller players), no one has really shown legit potential of the group.

 

[zman77]

Let's hope he's somewhere between Brendan Gallagher and Brayden Point.

I'm trying not to hold his size against him but he's just too much of the same of what we already have for me to very excited.

In Tre's defense of not trading back, no one else did it either. Doesn't seem like a trade was their to be made

He performed very well at the Spring NHL Combines.
He was in the Top 10 in many categories.
He's very strong for his size.
Body Fat @ 7%.

 

[Warden of the North]

He performed very well at the Spring NHL Combines.
He was in the Top 10 in many categories.
He's very strong for his size.
Body Fat @ 7%.

Speaks well for him.

It just hard to get excited about a guy who's NHL comparable is Alex Kerfoot.

 

[KMNRB]

Easton Cowan drafted 28th overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs -- Analysis & Scouting Report

With the 28th overall draft pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, the Maple Leafs have selected London Knights forward Easton Cowan. The pick was announced on the stage in Nashville by the Leafs’ Director of Amateur Scouting Wes Clark, who on Tuesday outlined the emphasis his draft team places on two...

mapleleafshotstove.com

After calming down from the initial WTF (I was hoping for Ritchie and Musty and disappointed at missing these players), I have grown to like this pick more after watching his highlights and reading the Blackbook's scouting report (see above link). At the very least, I understand the rationale.

From my casual "scouting", the impression I get is that his feet never stops and he always seems to score at a high pace in plays that are suited for the playoffs (so no dipsy doodling like many CHL scorers). So his game may be deemed as more translatable to the pro. Blackbook also mentioned that he has a foot size of 12.5 or 13 and grew from 5'8" to 5'11" in a relatively short time. So he should still be growing.

I found this link on the correlation between foot size and teens' height: Normal Height & Weight for Boys | Livestrong.com. You can "estimate a teen's height in inches by doubling his shoe size and adding 50". So 12.5*x +50 = 75. That would be 6'3"! He probably won't grow to that height but packing muscles in a 6 feet body frame with his tenacious style should make him a good fit with our fancy stars.

In short, both his body and his play have been in an upward trajectory. And usually it is better to pick someone on the upward swing than someone plateauing.

 

[Leafs at Knight]

Like the player, don't like him at #28. It's not a big deal, seemed like no one wanted to trade back. I do think on a lot of other teams he would've been given a lot more opportunity, but was playing on a deep Knights team and was a rookie; and would've been ranked higher based on that. He turned it on in the 2nd half, and looked very good in the playoffs. I think (and hope) he'll have a big year next year because he'll be given a bigger role, and like clockwork some people won't look too good in these threads.

 

[justashadowof]

I may get called crazy over this but I think his unusual puck handling style was a determining factor in being a 2nd round projection. He carries the puck too far forward and seems to shoot and pass from that unusual position. It isn't optimum for puck protection and balance. It's okay when he gets space at the OHL level but the pros would easily knock the puck off his stick one on one. But this is something he can trained away from.

 

[crump]

Consider me welmed. Didn’t know much of this draft class to begin with. I know it is supposed to be deep, so maybe Cowan was an ok pick. Seems like a good kid with character and some jam. Maybe a potential Point-lite in style? Is he worth a late first? Could they have traded down to get him? Did they know someone was going to take him early 2nd round? Time can only tell.

 

[AvroArrow]

Quite obviously the steal of the draft and should have gone top 5, absolute untouchable elite prospect

I have no clue who this kid is but fingers crossed

 

[Warden of the North]

Easton Cowan drafted 28th overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs -- Analysis & Scouting Report

With the 28th overall draft pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, the Maple Leafs have selected London Knights forward Easton Cowan. The pick was announced on the stage in Nashville by the Leafs’ Director of Amateur Scouting Wes Clark, who on Tuesday outlined the emphasis his draft team places on two...

mapleleafshotstove.com

After calming down from the initial WTF (I was hoping for Ritchie and Musty and disappointed at missing these players), I have grown to like this pick more after watching his highlights and reading the Blackbook's scouting report (see above link). At the very least, I understand the rationale.

From my casual "scouting", the impression I get is that his feet never stops and he always seems to score at a high pace in plays that are suited for the playoffs (so no dipsy doodling like many CHL scorers). So his game may be deemed as more translatable to the pro. Blackbook also mentioned that he has a foot size of 12.5 or 13 and grew from 5'8" to 5'11" in a relatively short time. So he should still be growing.

I found this link on the correlation between foot size and teens' height: Normal Height & Weight for Boys | Livestrong.com. You can "estimate a teen's height in inches by doubling his shoe size and adding 50". So 12.5*x +50 = 75. That would be 6'3"! He probably won't grow to that height but packing muscles in a 6 feet body frame with his tenacious style should make him a good fit with our fancy stars.

In short, both his body and his play have been in an upward trajectory. And usually it is better to pick someone on the upward swing than someone plateauing.

He's not putting on 5 inches of height at this point in his life.

 

[Warden of the North]

He seems like a Robertson clone?

 

[LeafGrief]

One of the things that I like about this pick is despite all the people moaning about how we could have traded down and snagged him later, this kid was in the building for the first round. He thought he had a chance to go in the first.

I'm actually a little surprised that from all of the things that Dubas brought to the organization, trade down, trade down, TRADE DOWN, is the one that made its way deepest into the fan's philosophy. Trading down can be the right call, but so can trading up. Flexibility and conviction are the yin and yang of managing draft picks. I'll always root for a reach, especially one that believes in himself.

 

[Stand Witness]

He seems like a Robertson clone?

Less reckless, more solid frame imo

 

[93LEAFS]

So what you're saying is the highly paid amateur scouting staff do nothing, and it really boils down to luck in the end?
Not that I disagree, but I tend to think there should only be 3 rounds total. All other players are free agents to sign where they may.

No, teams can outperform their picks expected value consistently. But, one, focusing on the one later pick that ends up a star is generally pointless. If you can consistently, hit singles with the odd extra base hit you will maintain a strong core assuming you have a decent allocation of picks. Not every pick needs to be a home-run swing. Cheap effective players on ELCs and team control have value in a cap world. Would I rather get the next David Pastrnak than the next Michael Bunting or Andrew Shaw? Absolutely, but that's not a consistently realistic outcome.

If you have good processes you will eventually hit a home-run or two, you'll strike-out a bit, and hopefully hit some singles and doubles along the way. Scouting and player development play key roles. But, ignoring likely probabilities of certain ranges would be absurd. Pretty much any pick outside the top 15 or so has a high-risk of becoming a bust. The gap between the certainty of the top 5 picks or so, and the likely outcomes of a late first is bigger than the gap between late firsts and 3rd rounders.

 

[BobClarkesfrontteeth]

I may get called crazy over this but I think his unusual puck handling style was a determining factor in being a 2nd round projection. He carries the puck too far forward and seems to shoot and pass from that unusual position. It isn't optimum for puck protection and balance. It's okay when he gets space at the OHL level but the pros would easily knock the puck off his stick one on one. But this is something he can trained away from.

Yea carrying the puck that way really ruined Martin St. Louis's career.

Lot's of smaller players carry the puck that way when using a longer stick. But if he has grown from 58 to 511 and it is expected for him to be 6 plus that will shorten up.

He's not putting on 5 inches of height at this point in his life.

Mike Johnson put on 8 inches at 20. My brother put on 7 inches at 21. So....

 

[ChazzMichaelMichaels]

He seems like a Robertson clone?

I don't think they're all that similar to be honest.

 

[thusk]

Should have traded down if this is who they had.. this seems similar to the Minten pick last year

I would certainly try to trade down but To trade down, you need a team calling you to trade up...

So yes maybe they was ready to trade down but just dont get the call for it, we cant know.