Maple Leafs Prospect Roundup: Disappointing WJC shouldn’t define Cowan, Holinka earns a medal

Easton Cowan has been in the spotlight since being drafted by the Leafs at the end of the first round in the 2023 draft, elevating his standing in the hockey world to become one of the top prospects in the game, but that spotlight can be a blessing and a curse.

After an underwhelming showing a year ago, not only individually but for the entire team, Cowan was expected to be one of the leading figures in Team Canada’s pursuit of redemption at this year’s World Juniors. Things started well in a tournament-opening victory over Finland, where he scored a crucial insurance marker, but it was downhill from there for Cowan and the rest of his Canadian teammates.

Plenty of ink has been spilled on Canada’s poor performance at this year’s tournament after they were ousted in the quarter-finals for the second consecutive year, so there’s no need to further belabour that point here, but the attention Cowan has garnered over the last couple of years has led to him taking a disproportionate amount of criticism in the aftermath.

Sure, Cowan didn’t play up to the level that he’s capable of, and as a returning player in a key role, he deserves some of the blame for how things turned out, but it’s not as if he had many teammates who held up their end of the bargain either. Yes, he made poor decisions with the puck at times, and he took a bad penalty in a big moment, but the entire team struggled to generate consistent offensive pressure, and their overall lack of discipline was arguably the story of their tournament.

Cowan didn’t produce the way many expected him to or the way that he would have liked, but he still finished the tournament tied with captain Brayden Yager for the team-scoring lead with three points in five games – he just wasn’t able to take over games the way he has in the OHL. He looked tentative at times, and his game lacked pace when he didn’t have the puck on his stick despite dishing out a couple of big hits. A big part of Cowan’s offensive tool kit is his ability to slow down the game and dictate the pace of play when he is in possession, manipulating defenders to open up passing lanes or drawing in opposing players before beating them with a slick deke, but it’s hard to dictate the pace of the game without the puck on your stick. Cowan and the rest of Team Canada didn’t do enough to impose their will on the opposition and wear them down with sustained possession, and that lack of offensive execution was a huge factor in their downfall.

It’s tough to imagine the disappointment that Cowan and the rest of the Canadian team have felt since losing to Czechia in the quarter-finals, but it shouldn’t define any of them. Winning World Junior gold is a dream for any young prospect, perhaps even more so for Canadian kids who grew up with the tournament as a staple of their holiday season, but ultimately, it is a handful of games in what should be long careers for many of these players. This loss will sting for a while, but the future is still bright for Easton Cowan.

Notes from the rest of the prospect pool:

• Miroslav Holinka was a part of the Czech team that delivered heartbreak to Canada, and he’s returning to his junior club in Edmonton with a medal around his neck. Czechia defeated Sweden in a shootout to earn bronze, with Holinka picking up an assist on Eduard Sale’s go-ahead goal in the second period to bring him up to four points in seven games for the tournament. He played big minutes for Czechia throughout and was instrumental in securing a third straight medal for his country. Despite being a 2024 draft pick, this was Holinka’s only shot at the World Juniors, as he will turn 20 next November.