At No. 6 in the Editor in Leaf Leafs prospect rankings comes recently drafted Tinus-Luc Koblar. Koblar was a lesser known player at his draft slot of 64th overall in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, but has the potential to be an ideal fit for what the Leafs' needed at that stage of the draft.
Koblar has a large frame at 6-foot-3, and adds to Toronto's depth down the middle. Toronto has been keeping an eye on his team as 2024 draftee, Victor Johansson, also played with Leksands IF J20. Koblar is a two-way playmaking center who isn't afraid to be physical, and if he fills out his frame further, he could become a force that's quite difficult to play against. In this article, we will take a look at what has made Koblar an exciting prospect to keep an eye on for the Leafs.
What they did last season
Koblar may not have racked up the points last season, but he was a solid presence for Leksands. Koblar scored 8 goals and 21 points, and while that might seem low, there was some limitation with his linemates. Still, Koblar played a great two-way game throughout the season and ended the season with a plus-7 rating, before going on to score four goals in seven playoff games. It's also worth noting that in Koblar's draft year last season, he was playing against players under 20 as a 17-year-old. Koblar had a respectible season and showed the Leafs enough promise that they decided he was worth taking a shot on.
What we expect this season
Koblar has now had a full summer under the Leafs organization, and seeing as he is a driven athlete, he likely has been locking in his training and diet to support his growth as he looks to become even stronger. Whether Koblar gets called up to play Leksands IF U20, or if he will return to Leksands IF J20 remains to be seen, but either way we expect Koblar to have a more offensively successful season.
If he's with the main club, he will be playing at a higher level, with higher skilled players and his two-way game should be able to adapt quite quickly, and if Koblar is back with Leksands IF J20, he will look to build on his past season and help the team find themselves on the scoreboard more. Koblar will look to work hard, and continue to be a strong player down the middle for Leksands IF, and in result, become a part of Toronto's future plans.
How does Tinus-Luc Koblar fit the Leafs' plans?
Toronto has been shifting their identity since bringing in Brad Treliving and Craig Berube, and that was made obvious as the Leafs drafted much taller players than they previously had. While their prospect pool isn't exactly stocked full at the moment, it seems like the position the Leafs have had the least success with translating to the pros is at center.
Koblar will look to change that though, as a smart two-way center. While Koblar may be a few years away from NHL playing time, having a player who isn't one-dimensional come in increases the odds of making the NHL. Koblar could be a solid fit in the Leafs bottom-six in a few years, that is of course, if he isn't used in a trade to acquire immediate talent at one of the upcoming trade deadlines.
What is Koblar's ceiling in the NHL?
Koblar's realistically has many different projections and this season will be quite telling to show which projection he trends towards. With that in mind, two-way players typically have a higher shot at making it to the NHL and sticking in the NHL.
Koblar shows many traits of a middle-six center, and will push to develop into a second-line center, but more realistically his ceiling is that of a third-line center. Koblar is worth keeping an eye on this season to see if his offense, acceleration and physicality all reach the next level while not sacrificing his two-way play.