As Easton Cowan skated onto the ice ahead of his NHL debut, the crowd started cheering. Within all the noise, a song blared inside Scotiabank Arena: “Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)”.
“Yeah, that was definitely special,” Cowan smiled. “It was very cool, and I saw all my friends and family, so it meant a lot.”
It’s been a rather short but quick road to the NHL for Cowan. He was in Junior B with the GOJHL’s Komoka Kings in 2021, before joining the OHL’s London Knights towards the end of the 2022 season.
Four years later, and after a strong training camp, Cowan skated in his first NHL game, alongside two of Toronto’s top players, Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies.
“Yeah, it’s pretty crazy,” Cowan said following Toronto’s 3-2 loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Monday afternoon. “About five years ago, I was playing Junior B, so it just shows if you stick with it and work hard, good things will come. So just going to keep doing that. Felt good today, but back at it tomorrow and hopefully get the two points.”
Cowan finished Monday’s game with one shot and three hits in 14:05 of ice time. There were plenty of chances created by Cowan, and it seemed like he worked well playing with Knies and Matthews. The rookie even found himself on the ice during a 6-on-5 late in the third period while Toronto was down by a goal.
“I thought he had a great game. He made a lot of good plays with the puck. And he made a good one at six on five, too. So that’s why he was out there,” said Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube.
“I think it means a lot, the trust he has in me, but I felt good today,” added Cowan. “I felt like I created a lot, so it was good to get out there and create a couple more chances there, too, at the end. But those got to go in, and unfortunately, they didn’t today.”
According to NaturalStatTrick, the Knies, Matthews, and Cowan line had a team-leading 80.33 expected goals-for percentage at five-on-five. Right off the hop, though, Cowan looked like he fit in.
If you didn’t know it, you wouldn’t think it was his NHL debut.
“I thought he was great. I think he just carries himself with such good confidence in himself in the way he can play and compete,” Matthews said. “I thought he played really well tonight. Easy guy to play with. He made plays. Made smart plays with the puck.
“When the simple play was there, to just get the puck deeper or whatnot, I thought he made it, so I thought he was really good tonight.”
One moment Cowan will remember most was during warmups when he scanned the crowd and found his old Knights teammates during warmups.
“They had all my old jerseys on, switched around backwards so you could see my name, and just big smiles on their face,” Cowan grinned. “It meant a lot that they came all the way here.”
Despite not tallying a point in his debut, there’s a lot to be excited about with Cowan’s game. The fact that he fit seamlessly with Matthews and Knies says what you need to know about the type of player Cowan can be.
This is only the beginning of what’s likely a long pro career for the young forward from Strathroy, Ontario.
“I felt good. I felt like a good player. I feel like I generated a lot and didn’t give up a lot, so I just keep getting better each and every day. Just keep working on finishing my chances.”
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