Leafs GM announces decision on 18-year-old prospect Easton Cowan

Knowing now what we didn't know then, most are now glad the the Leafs kept the pick and used it to select the London Knights standout. Cowan came to Leafs training camp as an 18-year-old and not only showed that he can hang, but that he can stand out.

Cowan's performance in the early stages of camp propelled him past the first wave of cuts and has resulted in him being among the final roster cuts on Tuesday - something that not many saw coming. Now, however, with the roster seemingly set in Toronto, Leafs GM Brad Treliving has confirmed that Cowan will finally be heading back to the London Knights for another year of junior hockey this season.

After racking up an incredible 21 points in 20 playoff games for London last season, the hope is that Cowan can play big minutes in all situations for the Knights this year and can use what he learned throughout Leafs camp to try to dominate in the OHL. If he can do that, he may even put himself on the radar for Team Canada in this year's World Junior selection camp, where he may just have the opportunity to make the team.

There's no question that Cowan had exceeded expectations throughout camp. I can only imagine how much better his next camp will be with another year of development under his belt. For now, though, the focus will be on his season, whether or not he can make Team Canada's U20 WJC roster and then, perhaps, pursue a championship in London.