Maple Leafs Prospect Admits to Damaging Iconic Hockey Trophy

The London Knights had been one of the more dominant teams over the last few seasons within the CHL. They not only won successive OHL championships, but they made it to the finals of the Memorial Cup both times as well, finally claiming it last year for the first time since 2016.

Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Easton Cowan was a star for the Knights as he totalled 63 goals and 165 points in 100 combined regular seasons games before turning it up a notch in the post-season with 23 goals and 73 points in just 35 playoff games.

He was instrumental during the Memorial Cup as well, which was something that was on his mind for the entire year, after they lost in the finals in 2024. That, in turn, made them celebrate the victory a little harder, which might explain the wear and tear on the iconic trophy.

Cowan, who had the cup for a couple of days, openly apologized for the damage that he and his teammates had done to the trophy after a summer filled with celebrations.

The Knights posted a league-best 55-11-2-0 record in 68 games to claim the top seed in the conference. They then swept their way through the first three series' to start the playoffs before taking down Ben Danford and the Oshawa Generals in 5 games en route to the OHL championship.

The Knights then went 2-1 in the round robin stage of the Memorial Cup and had to beat Moncton in the Semi-Finals before taking down Medicine Hat in the finals by a score of 4-1.

Cowan was the co-leader in points with 7 alongside his linemate Denver Barkey. For his efforts, Cowan won the Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy as the most outstanding player, as well as the Ed Chynoweth Trophy for being the top scorer, and was named to the All-Star Team.

Look for Cowan to ride that momentum into training camp as he vies for a roster spot ahead of Toronto's opening night matchup against Montreal.