2025 TLN Maple Leafs Prospect Rankings: #7 Tinus Luc Koblar

The TLN Maple Leafs prospect rankings were compiled by a panel of seven TLN writers, each ranking our top 20 prospects to form a consensus group ranking.

Rather than hard and fast limits on age or NHL games played to determine “prospect” eligibility, our group decided on a more nuanced approach to include any reasonably young player who is either under contract with the Leafs or on the club’s reserve list, who has not yet established himself as a full-time NHLer.

When the Toronto Maple Leafs selected Tinus Luc Koblar with the 64th overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, the consensus reaction in the media room was: who? After firing an immediate inquiry over to Daily Faceoff’s prospect expert Steven Ellis about who and what the Leafs were getting in Koblar, it became readily apparent that the team bet on Koblar’s propensity to get to the high-danger areas of the ice, along with some underrated scoring touch.

Koblar is one of the youngest players in the 2025 class, celebrating his 18th birthday on July 21. The 6-foot-3, 187-pound centre posted eight goals and 21 points for Leksands IF of the Swedish Junior League during the 2024-25 campaign, which aren’t eye-popping numbers, but Koblar did post four goals in seven playoff games and appeared to show continual, major improvement as a scorer during the second half of the year. Koblar’s parents are Olympic athletes, a quality that Maple Leafs scouting director Mark Leach noted after the draft concluded.

Leach on Koblar, continued: pic.twitter.com/JmeEp81PYh

— Arun Srinivasan (@Arunthings) June 28, 2025

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Here’s what Ellis wrote about Koblar immediately after the Leafs made their selection:

As a 6-foot-3 center, there’s a lot to like from his physical attributes. He’s not a crushing presence, but he’s competitive and strong enough to win out most individual battles. Mix in good skating and good hockey IQ and I think there’s definitely some late-bloomer potential if he can unlock another level in his offensive game.

It’s absolutely clear that Leach and Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving were emphasizing size as their common denominator throughout the draft, with the Florida Panthers operating as the template. Koblar was essentially selected because of his traits, athleticism and ability to get to the net-front. It’s now incumbent upon Koblar to improve in all areas of the puck, particularly his puck skills. At the moment, Koblar’s skating is a plus and he can keep pace against professionals, but he will need to improve significantly with the puck on his stick if he’s going to create any meaningful offence in the NHL.

Is Pierre Engvall the closest player comparison for Koblar? It’s too early to tell, but considering Engvall has carved out a career spanning 380 NHL games and counting, this would represent a win for the Maple Leafs if their second-round pick establishes this type of career. Koblar is still several years away from contributing at the NHL level and in some ways, the next steps of his development are clearly spelled out: shoot the lights out in Sweden next fall, continue to improve as a puck handler, while using his size, speed and athleticism to bully defenders at the net-front. Toronto selected Koblar two rounds ahead of consensus, but it made a risky investment on a prospect that could return dividends based on his traits and skill set.