Maple Leafs Top Prospect at WJC Might Not be Easton Cowan After All
With all the talk surrounding the potential of Easton Cowan, one under the radar prospect has shown he might be the best of the bunch.
When Toronto selected Easton Cowan 28th overall, many were curious as to what the future held for the young prospect going forward. Exploding in the OHL, he's been a force to be reckoned with and has led many to believe he's the star of the future.
A dismal showing at the World Juniors where he was again eliminated by Czechia in the quarterfinals however has swayed some opinions regarding whether or not he's ready for the pressure.
But what if Toronto's best prospect so happened to be part of the team who took out Canada? According to TSN's Mark Masters, who spoke to Czechia's head coach Patrik Augusta; the former Leaf had nothing but high praise for the prospect:
It's a huge step forward when it comes to Toronto's farm system as they are slowly building up a deep core of late round picks who can contribute.
Miroslav Holinka's Unlikely Rise To The Top
Not to much noise is made regarding fifth-round picks, but Holinka is something special. Blessed with great defensive IQ with a lot of room to grow both physically and mentally; he's a great contender to be one of Toronto's most complete players.
At 6'1, 185 pounds at only 19, he's got the ability to add a lot of muscle to his frame and bring some real intimidation at both ends of the ice and help him gain some confidence down low where he enjoys being able to set up his teammates.
He is a pass-first forward however has a good enough shot to be able to contribute to the goal-scoring side of things. Speaking on Holinka though, many notice that he as good as he is, the Czech forward is a very reserved player:
Entrusted by Augusta, Holinka led the entire team in TOI against Canada, showing how important he was to the team in their victory over Cowan's squad.
A lot of noise has come about with regards to Easton Cowan, as his historic performance deserves notice. But Miroslav Holinka has quietly made it known that perhaps the best prospects are the ones you don't pay attention to; but will soon enough.
