Like many young fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Easton Cowan grew up a fan of Mitch Marner.

And like Marner, Cowan quickly developed into a star with the London Knights. Cowan was the OHL’s MVP last year after the Leafs made the surprising decision to select him 28th overall, way above where most people expected.

But now he’s got a major chance to play alongside No. 16 and potentially cement himself on the opening night roster against the Montreal Canadiens on Oct. 9. Tonight, he’ll face off against the Habs with Marner and Max Domi by his side for a Leafs roster that much more resembles Toronto’s main group that we’ll see kick things off early next month.

Cowan has a shot of being on the wing for Game 1, but he still has to grind his way there as one of the youngest players at camp. But Cowan isn’t letting the opportunity get to his head — he knows he still has to prove himself with competition looking tight as always.

“It’s another game, so I’m excited,” Cowan said. “It’s another opportunity that I’m looking to capitalize on tonight.”

Cowan hasn’t registered a point through two games and was part of the second practice group on Wednesday – typically a sign on an off day that a player needs to pick up the pace. Thursday’s game should be the best opportunity for Cowan to step it up and put himself in a position to challenge for a roster spot while showing off in front of the home fanbase.

“I’m looking to build off my first couple of games and just play a bit more free,” Cowan said. “I felt like I was thinking a bit too much out there. When I’m moving my feet, I’m at my best. So I’m just going to try and cause some turnovers today and hopefully capitalize on that.”

Cowan almost started the season with the Leafs last year, staying with the team nearly until the end of training camp. The 19-year-old didn’t get into any NHL games, but he did prove he could hang with quality competition during the preseason – and that’s all you can ask for from a late first-rounder just three months removed from draft day.

But expectations are a bit higher now after that mega season with London, which saw him bring home his first OHL championship. It led many to wonder if Cowan could crack the main squad this time around.

Cowan is a natural center, but his best odds of making Toronto quickly is through the wing. Pontus Holmberg has had some good looks at camp, Nick Robertson appears like he’s sticking around for now and Max Pacioretty is expected to sign a deal ahead of the regular season. So competition – on the left side at least – could be a bit challenging, and there’s a legitimate argument that he needs to spend time back in London working on his strength and two-way play. But right now, he’s giving it his all.

As for his linemates tonight?

“They’re really good playmakers, so if I find some open space and have my stick on the ice, they’re probably going to find me,” Cowan said. “So I’ll try my best to get open and cause some stuff around the net.”

The Leafs will host Montreal at Scotiabank Arena at 7:00 PM ET tonight before taking the trip to Quebec on Saturday. Toronto will then play a pair of games against Detroit to close out the preseason slate on Oct. 3 and 5, with the next big round of cuts expected sometime between the series’ against Montreal and Detroit.