Auston Matthews continues to deal with a lingering upper-body injury. Would it be best for the team and player to rest in February during the 4 Nations Face-Off? Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews has been giving Easton Cowan pointers on his shot recently. Cowan scored one goal in Team Canada's first game of the preliminary round of the 2025 World Juniors, a 4-0 win vs. Finland. He also registered a hat trick a few games earlier on Dec. 19 during pre-tournament action against Switzerland. The 19-year-old prospect, who has 15 goals in 20 games this season with the OHL's London Knights, says he's gotten a lot of tips throughout the past year from one of the NHL's top goalscorers. "Talking to Matthews and stuff. He's taught me a lot on how to shoot," the forward told reporters, including TSN's Mark Masters [https://www.tsn.ca/world-juniors/video/cowan-learning-from-elite-matthews-as-he-polishes-offensive-game%7e3053364], in Ottawa on Friday. "He's helped me out a lot, but just practice makes perfect." Cowan also mentioned that Matthews has given him pointers in almost every area of shooting the puck. "Just on my one-Ts, you know, how to hit the puck, where to hit, how high to bring your stick, stuff like that, and it's been helping me out a lot," he said. Cowan remains a dual threat with and without the puck. His 15 goals and 13 assists through 20 games this season put him sixth among players on the Knights for points. He's also in the midst of a 56-game point streak in the OHL, the longest unofficial streak ever. (It won't be deemed official by the OHL because it spans across two seasons.) Doug Gilmour's 55-game point streak with the Cornwall Royals during the 1982-83 season is the current official OHL record. Cowan could still break that record this season if he stays healthy once back from the World Juniors. The forward is on a 20-game point streak. Cowan was drafted in the first round (28th overall) by the Maple Leafs in the 2023 NHL Draft. He has 94 points (38 goals, 56 assists) during his unofficial 56-game point streak. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjExNjM5NDEwNTc4NDM0MDI0/googlenews.svg] Stay updated with the most interesting Maple Leafs stories, analysis, break news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw/sections/CAQqEAgAKgcICjCvqtILMO7F6QMwytvfCA?ceid=CA:en&oc=3] to never miss a story.
