NHL Prospect Roundup: Toronto Maple Leafs’ Easton Cowan can’t stop producing
If you’re a fan of multi-point efforts from some of the CHL’s top prospects, you got it this week. Interested in some big bounce-back campaigns? You bet. How about some hidden gems making noise? Yup! A huge goaltender with some massive performances? Oui oui.
Let’s look at 10 prospects who stood out over the past week from around the world:
OHL
– Easton Cowan missed the start of the London Knights’ season while with the Toronto Maple Leafs for training camp. He made an immediate impact with nine points in his first four games and is coming off a tremendous three-point effort in a 3-2 win over Ottawa on Friday. Cowan is easily trending at a 100-point pace, but he’s expected to factor into Canada’s world junior effort this year. Still, expect a big boost from his 53-point run in his draft year. After early doubts, Toronto’s decision to take Cowan in the first round is looking mighty smart right now.
– Owen Beck had a rough start to the 2023-24 season, registering just one point in his first six games. But a hat trick against Oshawa on Oct. 21 seemed to have awoken the beast before he grabbed another three points this past weekend. His rise follows the improved play of the Peterborough Petes, who have seven points in their past four games. The Montreal Canadiens prospect likely won’t be a high-scoring NHLer, but his two-way game and strong work in the faceoff dot will make him a solid bottom-six option.
WHL
– The Wenatchee Wild are one of the CHL’s most exciting teams with an influx of high-quality prospects. And that includes Nashville Predators draft pick Graham Sward, whom they took as an overager at 146th overall in 2022. Sward saw his production fall from 43 in his draft year to 37 between Spokane and Winnipeg last year. But with five goals and 24 points in just 13 games, Sward has been instrumental in helping the Wild skate to a five-game winning streak. He has at least two points in each of those games, including four points in two games over the weekend. You expect big things from 20-year-olds in major junior, but production like this from a 6-foot-3 defender is always nice to see.
QMJHL
– His Halifax Mooseheads teammate deserves most of the praise, but Mathieu Cataford‘s 21 points in 13 games are remarkable. While most of the players near the top of the QMJHL scoring charts are 19 or 20, Cataford, 18, has found a way to stand out, even when Jordan Dumais was injured. Drafted 77th overall by the Vegas Golden Knights, the aggressive, goal-scoring winger is at his best right now and showing why he’s a potential middle-six option for VGK down the line.
NCAA
– Cutter Gauthier can’t be stopped. One of the favorites to win the Hobey Baker Award as the NCAA’s top men’s hockey player, Gauthier has six goals and seven points in six games with Boston College. His two-goal effort against Michigan State on Friday was his best game of the season, and he now sits two goals behind top 2024 NHL Draft prospect Macklin Celebrini for the lead. The Philadelphia Flyers have a great one here.
– After a difficult freshman season with the University of Minnesota-Duluth, Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Isaac Howard entered the transfer portal and joined Michigan State University. Known for his ability to put shots wherever he wants while displaying quick footwork, Howard is up to nine points in eight games with MSU so far, which includes a six-game point streak. It’s good to see Howard, a threat to make USA’s world junior team, bouncing back in a big way with his new team – one making tons of noise early.
USHL
– Could Christopher Pelosi become a nice find for the Boston Bruins? Drafted 92nd overall last summer, Pelosi was one of the USHL’s top forwards for the week of Oct. 16-22. He had three goals in four games with 17 shots, including two-game winning goals to give the Sioux Falls Stampede some much-needed points. He’s up to 11 points in 12 games, with his seven goals are good to tie Calgary’s Cade Littler for the USHL scoring lead among NHL prospects.
AHL
– Depending on who you talk to, the Ottawa Senators could go in multiple directions regarding their future No. 1 goaltender. Mads Sogaard, a 6-foot-7 beast from Denmark, is off to an incredible start with a 3-1-0 record with a shutout and a .944 save percentage through five games. He has made at least 30 saves in all three victories, including 42 in a 2-1 win over Toronto on Friday. The Sens were expecting big things from the 22-year-old after he got into 19 NHL games last year, and it’s easily Sogaard’s best stretch of his pro career.
– Finally, we’re starting to see the Brad Lambert we always knew was possible. The Winnipeg Jets prospect has had an incredibly topsy-turvy career with a solid mix of highs and lows. After scoring just two goals and three points in 14 games with Manitoba last year, Lambert is up to four goals and nine points in six games, putting him on pace for over 100 points. He has tallied points in each game, and he’s been much more effective defensively than we’ve seen before. Once considered a top prospect for 2022, Lambert is back on track.
KHL
– Mikhail Ye. Ilyin has been turning heads with Severstal Cherepovets this year. He’s up to 11 points in 22 games, three behind Flyers’ phenom Matvei Michkov for the lead among U-20 scorers. Drafted 142nd overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins, Ilyin is a smart player with the speed to play high in his team’s lineup and with the playmaking acumen to put pucks on the board. He still looks too afraid to shoot the puck, but I rarely watch him and don’t notice at least a few intelligent plays each game.
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