Cowan Confident, Clearheaded as Leafs Camp Nears
- Here's a breakdown of the key takeaways from the provided text, focusing on Ben Danford and Jacob Quillan:
- * Growth Focus: Danford is prioritizing a holistic advancement of his game in his final year of junior hockey.He's specifically working on offensive touches, not to become a...
- * NHL Experience: Quillan is the only player at the camp with NHL experience, having played 5 minutes and 21 seconds for the Ottawa Senators in January 2025.
Here’s a breakdown of the key takeaways from the provided text, focusing on Ben Danford and Jacob Quillan:
Ben Danford:
* Growth Focus: Danford is prioritizing a holistic advancement of his game in his final year of junior hockey.He’s specifically working on offensive touches, not to become a prolific scorer, but to enhance his overall puck skills.
* Role Player Mentality: he understands and embraces his role as a defensively responsible player who moves the puck quickly. He isn’t concerned with power play time or point totals.
* High-Intensity practice: He benefits from summer skating sessions with experienced NHL players Morgan Rielly and Chris Tanev, where he observes their habits – constant scanning, acting as if in a game situation, and maintaining high speed even in drills.
* World Junior Aspirations: He attended a Hockey Canada camp for World Junior hopefuls, indicating a desire to represent his country.
Jacob Quillan:
* NHL Experience: Quillan is the only player at the camp with NHL experience, having played 5 minutes and 21 seconds for the Ottawa Senators in January 2025.
* Motivating Experience: His brief NHL stint served as a reality check and a motivator, highlighting the skill gap and the work needed to reach that level.
* Local Roots: He has strong ties to Ottawa, having moved there with his family five years ago and training in the city during the offseason.
* Keepsake: He kept his stick from his NHL debut.