TORONTO – Easton Cowan stood on the blue line just ahead of puck drop.
Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews had just been introduced in the starting lineup.
Cowan’s name was announced next — to raucous applause — as a pair of Scotiabank Arena spotlights trained on Toronto’s prized prospect.
The rookie winger didn’t look out of place in his NHL debut.
Cowan played just over 14 minutes and tied for the team lead with three hits in the Leafs’ 3-2 loss to the Detroit Red Wings in a Monday afternoon tilt that saw the home side direct 40 shots on target.
“Fun game to play,” said the 20-year-old, who mostly skated on the top line with Matthews and Matthew Knies. “Unfortunate we didn’t get the win there. Thought we played a pretty good game.”
“I wasn’t really nervous at all,” he added. “It was just another game.”
Cowan stepped on to the Scotiabank Arena ice — without his helmet — for the traditional rookie lap ahead of warm-ups to a few bars of the aptly named “Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)” by Big & Rich.
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“That was definitely special,” he said with a grin. “It was very cool.”
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Cowan had plenty of family and friends in the stands, including a group of former teammates.
“They had all my old jerseys on, switched around backwards, so you can see my name, and just big smiles on their faces,” said the six-foot, 190-pound forward from Mount Brydges, Ont. “Meant a lot that they came all the way.”
Leafs head coach Craig Berube had enough confidence in Cowan to put him out with the team needing a goal late in regulation and Stolarz on the bench for an extra attacker.
“He was very good on a forecheck,” Berube said. “He’s got a great hockey IQ.”
Cowan watched Toronto’s first two games of the season after a strong training camp. The 28th pick at the 2023 NHL draft was cut last year and sent back to junior, where he helped the Ontario Hockey League’s London Knights win the Memorial Cup after the club also made the previous year’s national showcase.
His journey to Monday’s moment was even longer than most after he spent the 2021-22 season with the Komoka Kings of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League — two rungs below the OHL in Junior B — at age 16.
“It’s pretty crazy,” Cowan said of his path. “Just shows if you stick with it and work hard, good things will come. Just gonna keep doing that.”
Knies, who made his NHL debut in 2023, described what it’s like stepping into the spotlight for the first time.
“It’s honestly hard to describe,” said the big winger, who had a goal and an assist. “You’re nervous, but you’re excited. A lot of emotions going through your head. You just try to simplify everything and try to communicate and help each other out.
“Try to make the person next to you a little bit better.”
Cowan was certainly up to that task against Detroit. And not only did he make plays — a saucer pass to Matthews for a third-period breakaway was a prime example — he didn’t shy away from the physical side.
“They were trying to rub him out a couple times,” said Toronto goaltender Anthony Stolarz. “He stood his ground and made some smart decisions with the puck and created some offence … you can definitely see the maturity and the growth.
“He looks the part … he’s ready for this calibre of hockey.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 13, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
