With big moments in the Calder Cup playoffs with the Toronto Marlies, Toronto Maple Leafs youngster Easton Cowan believes that his game has been growing on the ice.
Toronto Maple Leafs youngster Easton Cowan is coming off a massive moment with the Toronto Marlies in the Calder Cup playoffs.
In a do-or-die Game 5 against the Cleveland Monsters, Cowan scored the game-winning goal with about 12 seconds remaining in the contest. His marker helped the Marlies advance to the Eastern Conference final and will face the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in a best-of-seven series.
Experiencing high-pressure moments and the playing time that he's getting in the AHL, Cowan feels that he is growing as a player and gaining more confidence in his abilities on the ice.
The 21-year-old is coming off his rookie season with the Maple Leafs this past NHL regular season. In October, he played his first game in the league against the Detroit Red Wings, and ended the year with 11 goals and 29 points in 66 appearances.
"A hundred percent," Cowan said on TSN's First Up show when asked if he's noticed growth in his game since his NHL debut. "I mean, not just my overall game, but my confidence as a player. It's just, I feel like the more reps you get, the more comfortable you get."
So far in the AHL post-season, Cowan has put up four goals and eight points in 13 games. He's third on the team in goals and fifth in points.
Not only has he seen improvement with the puck, but the 6-foot left winger also believes that he's enhanced his physique.
"I feel like I've gotten a bit bigger and stronger too," Cowan said. "And I'm just looking to maintain that the rest of the year, and then have a big summer for me will be huge.”
Between his time spent with the stars of the Maple Leafs and now a deep playoff run in the American League with the Marlies, Cowan has seen a lot, and there are plenty of lessons that he'll be able to take into his sophomore season in the NHL next year.
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