John Tavares makes his feelings known about Canada's WJC struggles, Easton Cowan

Toronto Maple Leafs forward John Tavares is following Team Canada at the World Junior Championship. Despite a busy NHL schedule, Tavares has found time to watch games and support Easton Cowan, a Maple Leafs prospect.

Cowan, playing in his second tournament, is determined to improve after Canada’s early exit last year. He has one goal and two assists in three games so far.

"Obviously, expectations in Canada are always extremely high," Tavares said. "They have a very good team, and I know Easton is very driven to have a much better finish to the tournament than last year."

John Tavares praised Canada’s effort in bouncing back against Germany (3-0) after a tough loss to Latvia. He said their ability to stay focused and grind through challenges will help them improve.

"It’s been an interesting tournament so far, but credit to them for the way they played yesterday." Tavares said, "They stuck with it, especially with all the noise about how the game ended against Latvia. Staying the course and grinding their way through it has only helped them build throughout the tournament.”

Canada’s next game against Team USA on New Year’s Eve is highly anticipated, and Tavares is looking forward to watching it.

Cowan is having an impressive year, including a 20-game point streak in the OHL this season. His overall streak of 56 games, spanning two seasons, isn’t recognized due to league rules, but it shows his strong play.

John Tavares, who has represented Canada at many international events, understands the pressure of playing for the national team. He knows Cowan well from training camps and wished him luck.

John Tavares has leveled up his performance in his last year of contract

John Tavares is performing well offensively for the Maple Leafs this season. After giving the captaincy to Auston Matthews, he has scored 18 goals and added 19 assists in 36 games. Twenty-nine of those points came in wins. Tavares is in the final year of his seven-year, $77,000,000 contract, signed with the Maple Leafs in July 2018.

The Maple Leafs have a record of 22-13-2 and are second in the Atlantic Division. They score 3.11 goals per game and allow 2.84. Mitch Marner (50 points) and William Nylander (23 goals) lead the team.