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<\/p>\nIt may not have been the plan for 19-year-old Fraser Minten to make the Toronto Maple Leafs out of training camp two years ago.<\/p>\n
Minten, however, just kept on impressing then-Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe and GM Brad Treliving that preseason, passing every test the team threw at him. Eventually, a roster spot was created for him in the opening-night lineup.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s beginning to feel like that with Easton Cowan this fall.<\/p>\n
Cowan is only 20 and had 14 NHL forwards standing in his way at the start of camp, so his odds of making the NHL team felt low. However, with each passing day, his chances appear to be ticking higher. Like Minten, who is now with the Boston Bruins organization, he might just play his way into the Leafs lineup for their regular-season opener on Oct. 8 after all.<\/p>\n
Crucially, Cowan has wowed the person who matters most in the evaluation process this fall: head coach Craig Berube, who brought him up unprompted the other day just to rave about his feats at camp.<\/p>\n
\u201cCowan\u2019s looking sharp,\u201d he said. \u201cJust watching him out there in some of the battle drills, he\u2019s such a competitor.\u201d<\/p>\n
And stronger than you might think, the Leafs coach added.<\/p>\n
\u201cI like the way Cowan\u2019s playing,\u201d Berube said the following day. \u201cHe has very good instincts for the game, especially on the offensive side of things. He\u2019s a highly competitive player. He\u2019s so competitive on his stick and battling for pucks. There\u2019s a lot of upside there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cowan has gotten the longest-lasting audition at camp for a clear hole in the lineup: right wing on a projected fourth line with Scott Laughton and Steven Lorentz.<\/p>\n
Berube is admittedly intrigued by the combination and scoring potential Cowan might bring to it. The trio went bananas with a combined five goals against a mostly NHL-calibre Montreal Canadiens lineup on Thursday night.<\/p>\n
Cowan hasn\u2019t looked out of place in his third camp with the Leafs.<\/p>\n
In games and practices, he\u2019s hounded pucks, forced turnovers, outmaneuvered larger opponents and created a whack of opportunities to shoot the puck for himself and others. Five pounds heavier than he was last fall at 190 pounds, Cowan hasn\u2019t looked overmatched physically and his pace appears to have quickened to meet (maybe?) NHL speeds.<\/p>\n
He shows no sign of being overwhelmed by the giant leap he might be taking from the OHL last season to the NHL this season.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery year you get more and more familiar with what goes on here and the little details it takes to make the team,\u201d Cowan said. \u201cI just try to enjoy it each and every day. I mean, you\u2019re trying out for an NHL team, so you\u2019ve got to look at it like it\u2019s a fun thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Berube sees a difference in Cowan that way. Last fall, the Leafs coach saw a young player who had perhaps unreasonably high expectations owing to growing hype from a monster season with the London Knights.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that built up on him,\u201d Berube said.<\/p>\n
Not this year.<\/p>\n
Cowan showed up with a mindset that Berube described as \u201cI\u2019m just here to make the team, do what I can to make the team.\u201d<\/p>\n
The combination of offence and pesky jam makes Cowan a conceivable fit on just about any line for Berube, maybe even in a top-six capacity at some point \u2014 if, that is, he sticks around with the Leafs that long.<\/p>\n
To do so, in Berube\u2019s estimation, Cowan will need to continue to \u201cget the trust of the coach by playing a simple, north game, and being that hounder and that forechecker and being a difficult guy to play against, being defensively responsible, managing the puck, things like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s gotta change a little bit, because junior is different than pro,\u201d the Leafs coach said before the start of camp, but Cowan was prepared for that and \u201cunderstands what he needs to do to try to make the team.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Easton Cowan has made a very strong impression on Craig Berube. (Marc DesRosiers \/ Imagn Images)<\/p>\n
This isn\u2019t just about Cowan.<\/p>\n
With Laughton basically cemented now as Berube\u2019s fourth-line centre, David K\u00e4mpf has fallen off the radar entirely and seems to be a precarious spot with the Leafs. It\u2019s pretty clear Berube isn\u2019t enamoured with Nick Robertson either.<\/p>\n
Cowan feels like a better fit for Berube Hockey than both \u2014 more versatile, too. And if the choice is between playing one of the two to start the season, or the returning (if still useful) Calle J\u00e4rnkrok, why not take an early look at their top prospect instead, if only to determine whether he\u2019s ready for NHL duty now?<\/p>\n
\u201cJust play simple. Play direct. Play north. Play heavy hockey,\u201d Cowan said of his intentions. \u201cThat\u2019s what they want here and that\u2019s what I\u2019ve been trying to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cowan\u2019s mouthguard is usually hanging out of his mouth a la Matthew Tkachuk as he motors through drills at camp, and he\u2019s been sponging up tips whenever he can from veterans like Laughton. He isn\u2019t intimidated to pick Berube\u2019s brain either.<\/p>\n
\u201cLaughts is always helping me out,\u201d Cowan said. \u201cHe\u2019s such a great guy.\u201d<\/p>\n
If Cowan can keep the good vibes rolling for the next week or so, the Leafs may be inclined to hang onto him, at least on a tryout basis, to begin the regular season. Give Cowan three games, say, and see how they go. Pass that initial test and the Leafs might extend the audition a little further. And if, eventually, Cowan falls off, it\u2019s easy enough to send him down for his first stint with the Marlies, where he can gobble up huge minutes in all situations and maybe emerge as an NHL option in the second half.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s likelier than not that\u2019s where he ends up. The pace, intensity and competition level jumps significantly in the regular season.<\/p>\n
To make room for him on the roster initially, the Leafs shipped out Sam Lafferty just before the start of the season.<\/p>\n
They could attempt something similar to make room for Cowan with any of K\u00e4mpf, Robertson or even J\u00e4rnkrok if need be. Or they could simply waive, say, K\u00e4mpf, knowing his contract ($2.4 million this year and next) makes him unlikely to be claimed.<\/p>\n
Whether it gets that far will depend on Cowan.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s no sign of nerves, just a steely composure these days.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt used to be nerve-wracking,\u201d Cowan said, \u201cbut definitely not anymore. It\u2019s just hockey. You gotta go out and enjoy it.\u201d<\/p>\n
(Top photo: David Kirouac \/ Imagn Images)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It may not have been the plan for 19-year-old Fraser Minten to make the Toronto Maple Leafs out…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":170239,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[556],"tags":[64,63,575,85,2370],"class_list":["post-170238","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nhl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-nhl","tag-sports","tag-toronto-maple-leafs"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170238","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=170238"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170238\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/170239"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=170238"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=170238"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=170238"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}