John Chayka gets a strong message from one of the Maple Leafs' top prospects

Easton Cowan spent his summer chasing speed, and the Toronto Maple Leafs winger says the extra gear is finally showing up.

The 21-year-old forward says closing the gap to NHL pace became his main focus the moment last season wrapped, and he's been putting in the work all summer.

"I feel like I've gotten faster, you know," Cowan said. "I've done a lot of power skating with my power skating coach, Kathy."

"She's been great all summer," he added. "I'm just looking to take the extra step. That way, it'll help me out a lot."

Cowan closed his rookie season with 29 points in 66 games for Toronto, production that came with real bottom-six minutes and a -5 rating.

Toronto's new coach inherits a losing streak and a speed problem

Over his final 10 games last season he picked up 7 points, a signal his offensive touch was trending up before the summer work even started.

Does an offseason with a personal skating coach actually show up in October zone entries? Camp will answer that fast.

The Maple Leafs finished last season 32-36-14 and closed it out on a seven-game losing streak, a collapse the new coaching staff now has to fix.

Jim Hiller was hired in June, and training camp will be his first real chance to see whether Cowan's offseason claims translate onto NHL ice.

Cowan is still on his entry-level deal at 873500 dollars against the cap, exactly the kind of contract that gives Toronto every incentive to find him a real role up front.

Power skating coaches are common around the league now, but for a player who struggled to separate at NHL speed as a rookie, the stakes here go beyond a summer tune-up. They run toward whether he sticks in the top nine or gets buried in the bottom six again.