Toronto Maple Leafs top prospect Easton Cowan joined Nick Alberga and Jay Rosehill on Monday’s edition of Leafs Morning Take, where he shared his favourite memories of the World Juniors, while sharing his optimism for this year’s tournament.

Cowan is expected to be one of the stars of this year’s tournament as a returnee, and he is off to a tremendous start, recording a hat-trick against Switzerland in a 7-1 pre-tournament victory on December 19.

“Every kid dreams of this growing up,” Cowan said of the World Juniors experience in an interview recorded Friday. “We’re all excited, we’re just taking it day-to-day here. We had a good practice today and we’re looking forward to the game against Sweden tomorrow.”

Cowan recorded a goal and an assist against Sweden in a 4-2 pre-tournament victory Saturday and could contend for tournament MVP over the next few weeks.

Over the past few decades, the World Juniors have become a staple of the Canadian holiday season and naturally Cowan has some fond memories of the tournament, although you may feel old in the process.

“Obviously there’s a lot, but the one I always say is Akil Thomas’ go-ahead goal in 2020. Dale and Mark were with the team too, and Mad Dog, the equipment manager. Hearing the stories from them, and watching that goal was something special.”

Thomas scored the game-winner for Canada in a 4-3 victory over Russia, where Canada rallied back from a 3-1 deficit in the third period to capture the gold medal at the 2020 tournament.

Although Cowan will be one of the players to watch in this year’s event, it’s clear that last year’s fifth-place finish doesn’t sit well with him. Cowan shared some of his learnings that he’s adapting, going into the World Juniors for the second time.

“Last year is last year, but more business-like. Getting more dialled in, knowing when to have fun, when to get serious and stuff. Obviously, you always have to have fun fun playing the game but there are moments when you have to be more business-like.”

You won’t want to miss the rest of the interview, and here is the rest of the episode featuring the Maple Leafs’ top prospect, who could be in line for some individual and team hardware in the coming weeks: