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

[Martin Skoula]

Player IQ has been way overstated by the Dubas regime over the past number of years.

Of course you don’t want a roster full of Alex Galchenyuk’s, that’s literally good skills gone to waste because of a lack of hockey IQ… and of course you want a Patrice Bergeron who bats above what his physical tools are… but the game is full of good systems players who play effectively without having that IQ (trademark) branding.

IQ is too narrowly defined and our system isn’t really IQ friendly imo. In terms of being narrowly defined, an example like Crosby comes to mind. Generational IQ in a grinder’s body, can play any style you want. But for some reason he can only play with a certain style of winger and can’t use his big brain to adapt to whoever you throw out with him. Marner is all IQ with any type of linemate but he forces them to play his slow east-west playmaking game, if the situation obviously calls for a different style he doesn’t adapt.

I get the feeling that we draft for a high but narrow IQ profile. We’re not putting 5 geniuses out there and letting them freestyle jazz with their IQ in response to whatever the situation may be on the ice. The breakouts and play in the offensive zone are very rigid and designed to hide flaws instead of push strengths. Instead of constant movement to open up seams for our high IQ vision guys to exploit, we just hold on to the puck in a stationary set up for as long as possible before getting a high tip off from the slot. Is it a high IQ play? Sure, the first few times you do it, but the relevant IQ part is what we do once teams adapt to that play and put bodies in the way. Our resident genius doesn’t really adapt to this and finds himself getting harassed out of the zone or turning it over at the blue line.

 

[Stephen]

IQ is too narrowly defined and our system isn’t really IQ friendly imo. In terms of being narrowly defined, an example like Crosby comes to mind. Generational IQ in a grinder’s body, can play any style you want. But for some reason he can only play with a certain style of winger and can’t use his big brain to adapt to whoever you throw out with him. Marner is all IQ with any type of linemate but he forces them to play his slow east-west playmaking game, if the situation obviously calls for a different style he doesn’t adapt.

I get the feeling that we draft for a high but narrow IQ profile. We’re not putting 5 geniuses out there and letting them freestyle jazz with their IQ in response to whatever the situation may be on the ice. The breakouts and play in the offensive zone are very rigid and designed to hide flaws instead of push strengths. Instead of constant movement to open up seams for our high IQ vision guys to exploit, we just hold on to the puck in a stationary set up for as long as possible before getting a high tip off from the slot. Is it a high IQ play? Sure, the first few times you do it, but the relevant IQ part is what we do once teams adapt to that play and put bodies in the way. Our resident genius doesn’t really adapt to this and finds himself getting harassed out of the zone or turning it over at the blue line.

Yeah I agree with this and I think there’s a very rich and interesting hockey conversation about what constitutes IQ. But it’s not the way the Leafs have traditionally talked about it.

I think they envision something like a watered down Datsyuk exploiting an open seam in heavy traffic when they talk about IQ. But they probably don’t value someone like a Nic Hague making a correct and efficient systems play in a high pace, high duress environment.

The reason why teams have systems play is to cut down on all the variables. You can be a really smart systems player and I don’t think that’s generally what gets the Leafs juices going.

 

[Martin Skoula]

Yeah I agree with this and I think there’s a very rich and interesting hockey conversation about what constitutes IQ. But it’s not the way the Leafs have traditionally talked about it.

I think they envision something like a watered down Datsyuk exploiting an open seam in heavy traffic when they talk about IQ. But they probably don’t value someone like a Nic Hague making a correct and efficient systems play in a high pace, high duress environment.

The reason why teams have systems play is to cut down on all the variables. You can be a really smart systems player and I don’t think that’s generally what gets the Leafs juices going.

I don’t think you even need to be particularly smart for systems play, just coachable and a consistent executor with a high panic threshhold. I’d be curious to see what happens if you draft solely by the criteria of lowest % of failed passes and missed shots with minimum ice time/production filters with a preference towards size and straight line speed.

 

[ITM]

Treliving seemed to be working the phones maybe there was no move down senerio.

I don't doubt it; Didn't he say post-draft "prices were too high" or something to that effect?

 

[LeafChief]

For those that are more familiar with Cowan, what are the chances he makes Team Canada at the World Juniors in December? He doesn't have any international pedigree which I imagine will be held against him.

 

[Leaf Rocket]

I don't doubt it; Didn't he say post-draft "prices were too high" or something to that effect?

very rigid indeed.

 

[93LEAFS]

For those that are more familiar with Cowan, what are the chances he makes Team Canada at the World Juniors in December? He doesn't have any international pedigree which I imagine will be held against him.

I'd say unlikely barring a start to the season that forces a camp invite. But, he has a skill-set that can play down in the line-up, but Hockey Canada barring a coach loving a player tends to go with guys who have an international pedigree.

 

[WTFMAN99]

I'd say unlikely barring a start to the season that forces a camp invite. But, he has a skill-set that can play down in the line-up, but Hockey Canada barring a coach loving a player tends to go with guys who have an international pedigree.

Is this his last chance at it?

He might force it if he gets top end ice time

 

[weems]

Not sure if it's been posted yet in this thread but here's his rankings from the combine thanks to @zman77

 

[BertCorbeau]

Is this his last chance at it?

He might force it if he gets top end ice time

He just turned 18 last month so no.. I assume he gets a camp invite with a chance at a depth role this year. Next year he should be expected to make it I’d say.

 

[Stephen]

I don’t think you even need to be particularly smart for systems play, just coachable and a consistent executor with a high panic threshhold. I’d be curious to see what happens if you draft solely by the criteria of lowest % of failed passes and missed shots with minimum ice time/production filters with a preference towards size and straight line speed.

Yeah exactly. You want your player to have an NHL processor and make good decisions quickly under pressure. Teams throw out the comment about structure all the time. So if you can execute in those parameters you’ve got the IQ to be an every day player. So do we want functional smart or flashy smart.

Alternatively, you could also be bigger and able to absorb more punishment or duress before you need to make a play which gives you more panic threshold. Aka Schenn 2.0. So you actually have a hardware advantage even if your software isn’t exceptional.

Or. You could also be kinda dumb and high risk but have the athleticism and skating to recover whenever you make mistakes. I don’t want to call Montour dumb but he’s such a thoroughbred skater he can scramble to cover up for a lot of the sloppiness. His cardio also seems endless so there’s an advantage that goes beyond IQ.

So yes, intelligence is a very attractive trait but there’s a lot going on.

 

[The Masters]

 

[BertCorbeau]

hype train engage

 

[keonsbitterness]

hype train engage

I'm climbing aboard!

 

[Prominence]

Unless you're including playoffs, I'm calling bs on cowan having the most points per game since january. He only had 32 points in 35 games.

Ontario Hockey League

The OHL consists of 20 member teams, including 17 in the province of Ontario as well as three in the United States, with two in the state of Michigan and one in the state of Pennsylvania.

ontariohockeyleague.com

 

[Leaf Rocket]

I'm climbing aboard!

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

Unless you're including playoffs, I'm calling bs on cowan having the most points per game since january. He only had 32 points in 35 games.

Ontario Hockey League

The OHL consists of 20 member teams, including 17 in the province of Ontario as well as three in the United States, with two in the state of Michigan and one in the state of Pennsylvania.

ontariohockeyleague.com

Yeah it was just a lie/joke

 

[Phion Keneuf]

Lol imagine

 

[supermann_98]

What is this crap? Lol, or am I reading this wrong? Are they saying his PPG was highest in OHL History? What!?

 

[keonsbitterness]

What is this crap? Lol, or am I reading this wrong? Are they saying his PPG was highest in OHL History? What!?

It's April Fools in June.

 

[ChazzMichaelMichaels]

So was Cowan the BPA on our board or not?

I mean if this guy reached for Cowan for the sole purpose of making sure someone else didn't get him, but passed over better players because of it, then you are just doing a really bad job.

And this is obviously not in the context of the decision to move up or down either. It was to take the guy at the pick they already had. Just say you had the guy as your BPA and stand by the decision.

Isn’t that exactly what he’s saying?

“He was our guy and we took him”

You can have him as your BPA and also think you can move down and still get him, no? The intel he got was that someone else was going to take him if they attempted that.

 

[SeaOfBlue]

Isn’t that exactly what he’s saying?

“He was our guy and we took him”

You can have him as your BPA and also think you can move down and still get him, no? The intel he got was that someone else was going to take him if they attempted that.

Treliving said they were trying to trade down and couldn't. This sounds like Wes Clark didn't want to trade down because they were afraid he would have been taken.

Seems like it is all over the place.

 

[93LEAFS]

Treliving said they were trying to trade down and couldn't. This sounds like Wes Clark didn't want to trade down because they were afraid he would have been taken.

Seems like it is all over the place.

It's entirely possible he was the top guy on their board, but they only had a B grade on him (2nd/3rd rounder). Didn't get offers they liked, so they took him as the top guy on their board but maybe slightly below a first-round grade. Sometimes you get guys with an A grade in the 2nd round or later, sometimes your board is surprisingly decimated by forces that create a league wide similar rankings where you only have B's available at 27. Generally if you have 20 A players you will get one in the first round, as rarely are league boards so similar. But, stranger things have had happened.

And if its true Wes Clarke was afraid of trading down and losing the top guy on his board. Atleast they learned something from when Hunter had Konecny top of the board in 2015 but Dubas with Wes Clarke pushed for a trade down to maximize value and we ended up with Dermott, Dzierkals, and Bracco and then led to Lou to come in to oversee two different branches of the organization that couldn't get along and Shanny didn't want to play tiebreaker again.

 

[DarkKnight]

 

[TDotMassive]

f***ing milk LOL