Tinus Luc Koblar Joins the Leafs as a Promising Second-Round Surprise
So, big news out of the NHL Draft — the Toronto Maple Leafs have made their first selection of the 2025 draft, and it’s a bit of a curveball: Tinus Luc Koblar, drafted 64th overall. That’s the very last pick of the second round, and it definitely raised some eyebrows. Now, if you’re not familiar with the name, don’t worry — a lot of people weren’t. But there’s a fascinating story here, and I think it deserves some attention.
Koblar is a 6’3” left-shot center from Norway, playing in the Leksand system in Sweden. The Leafs saw something in him — something other teams may have overlooked. And that’s not unusual for Toronto lately. They’ve shown a tendency to trust their scouting and go off the board when they feel strongly about a player. Koblar is exactly that kind of pick.
He’s what you’d call a “toolsy” player — he’s got raw ability and some really interesting traits. A decent skater for his size, he brings a strong two-way game and shows a competitive edge that scouts like to see in developing players. While he’s still a bit rough around the edges, there’s real potential here. He’s strong on the boards, uses his size to protect the puck, and gets to the high-danger areas consistently. According to data, a whopping 83% of his shots came from medium to high-danger zones, and 72% were right from the slot. That’s not a fluke — that shows intent and awareness.
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Now, part of why this pick may have surprised some is because of where he was ranked. He didn’t crack the top 50 in most rankings, and in some cases, he barely made the top 100. But the Leafs clearly did their homework. Koblar was teammates with Victor Johansson, a Leafs pick from the same program last year, and their scouting director, Mark Leach, has a strong history with players out of Leksands — including selecting Lian Bichsel while with Dallas. So there’s familiarity here, and likely a lot of inside information that gave the Leafs confidence.
And here's something cool — Koblar becomes only the second Norwegian ever drafted by Toronto. That kind of international scouting outreach speaks volumes about how deep the Leafs are willing to go to find value. It’s not just about points either. Koblar only tallied 21 points in 43 games at the J20 level, but his role was more than just offense. He was a top center in all situations and a go-to guy for Norway at international levels.
There are concerns, of course. His offensive ceiling isn’t fully known. His skating could use some improvement, particularly his acceleration. But those are coachable aspects. What you can’t teach is hockey sense, work ethic, and physical presence — and Koblar checks those boxes.
Some are calling it a reach, but sometimes, if you really believe in a player, you take your shot. And that’s what Toronto did here. Time will tell if it pays off, but if he develops the way the Leafs think he can, this could be a sneaky-good pick.
So yeah, welcome to the Leafs, Tinus Luc Koblar. The name might not be trending yet, but don’t be surprised if it is in a couple of years.
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