Former Panthers scout reveals his best NHL comparisons for Easton Cowan
PUBLICATION
Cody Craig
February 28, 2024 (2:37 PM)
Photo credit: Natalie Shaver - OHL Images
This afternoon on the JD Bunkis podcast, Bunkis spoke with former Florida Panthers director of amateur scouting, Jason Bukala, about Toronto Maple Leafs top prospect Easton Cowan.
The main topics covered were, Cowan and where he would be projected in the 2024 draft, were he draft eligible this summer instead of last summer, and expectations for the young and talented forward.
Bukala, who is now a scouting analyst for Sportsnet, had this to say about the London Knights forward who continues to have an unbelievable season:
"He'd definitely be a top 10 pick in this draft cycle. He's a top 6 pick for me." - Jason Bukala on where Cowan ranks if he was drafted in the 2024 draft.
The Sportsnet scouting analyst continued to praise Cowan by stating what he believes the 18-year-old standout will bring to the table for the Maple Leafs and what he expects him to develop into:
"Cowan is going to score more than Knies is going to score [and] he's going to be Knies-lite in the hard areas. He's going to be tenacious, in the fights along the wall... He's kind of like a modern day version of Darcy Tucker." - Jason Bukala on his expectations of Easton Cowan and what he can bring to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Darcy Tucker was a fan favourite in Toronto for his relentlessness and ferocity, despite his size, at just 5'10 and 170 lbs. Like Tucker, Cowan is also a little buzzsaw, though not nearly as vicious and short-tempered when it comes to his behaviour in the scrums. Still, Cowan will not hesitate to mix it up when necessary.
In 44 games this season with the Knights, Cowan has put up 29 goals, 48 assists, which equals out to an impressive 77 points. He is currently on a 26-game point streak, which is a London Knights franchise record, which is crazy when you also consider that
Matthew Tkachuk,
Patrick Kane,
Mitch Marner and
Corey Perry were all Knights alumni as well, all of whom have had tremendous NHL careers.
Previously on MapleLeafsDaily
POLL |
FEVRIER 28 | 772 ANSWERS Former Panthers scout reveals his best NHL comparisons for Easton Cowan Does hearing the Darcy Tucker comparisons excite you even more for Easton Cowan's arrival in Toronto? |
Yes, he's going to be a fan favourite | 696 | 90.2 % |
No, he's going to struggle at the NHL level | 76 | 9.8 % |
List of polls |
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