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Easton Cowan says key to closing out Calder Cup win will be ‘don’t get too high or too low’
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Photo credit: Steven Ellis/The Nation Network
Michael Coyle
Jun 17, 2026, 07:30 EDTUpdated: Jun 17, 2026, 05:15 EDT
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The Toronto Marlies are one win away from bringing home their second Calder Cup championship in franchise history. 
Easton Cowan scored the lone goal during Tuesday night’s contest, powering the Marlies to a 1-0 win over the Chicago Wolves in Game 3 of the American Hockey League’s Calder Cup Finals. 
Cowan brought the sold-out crowd at Coca-Cola Coliseum to their feet at 2:47 of the second period after wiring a wrist shot that snuck through Wolves goaltender Cayden Primeau to give Cowan his eighth goal of the playoffs. After going pointless over the first two games of the series, Cowan came through at a big moment for Toronto.
“The first couple games, I couldn’t really find my groove, and then in the second period I got a bounce there which got the juices flowing,” Cowan said. “I’m just hoping to keep that going into Thursday.” 
After being selected in the first round by the Toronto Maple Leafs during the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, Cowan spent the 2025-26 season with the Maple Leafs and looked strong during his rookie season. The 21-year-old skated in 66 games with the club and recorded 11 goals and 18 assists to finish the year with 29 points. 
After the Maple Leafs’ season wrapped up in April, Cowan joined the Marlies to close out their regular season before suiting up for 20 games during this playoff run. With 14 points in 20 games, Cowan has become an integral part of their success and is becoming an even bigger fan favourite in the city of Toronto. 
“All year I’ve really enjoyed playing in Toronto, so to see the fans here tonight and everyone supporting us, it was awesome,” Cowan said. “I’ve just had so much fun playing here; everyone’s so passionate, so it’s good to be here.”
Cowan was a part of back-to-back Ontario Hockey League championship-winning teams with the London Knights during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons, so even at a young age, Cowan knows the difficulties in winning that final game to close out a series. 
“I think you just need to ride the wave, don’t get too high or too low, just need to stay positive and stay even,” Cowan said. “We’ll do that, and we’ll do well.” 
Marlies head coach John Gruden has spent the past few months with Cowan and has gotten to know his game very well. Speaking to the media postgame, Gruden spoke about what he saw from his young forward during Tuesday night’s win. 
“He didn’t have the best first period, but it wasn’t just him; we just weren’t ourselves. But I think him and a bunch of our other players were outstanding to begin the second period. You can see the confidence growing after he scored that goal in how much better he played detail-wise with a 200-foot game,” Gruden said. “He was making all the right plays, skating, and he was creative; that’s when he’s at his best, not trying to do it all himself. For him to come back like that after the first, just says a lot about him.” 
The Marlies will look to close out the Wolves in Game 4 of the series on Thursday, June 18 at Coca-Cola Coliseum. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. EST. 
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