The Maple Leafs' first draft pick arrives with competitive DNA preloaded

Hamilton Spectator

16 hours ago

Norwegian forward
Tinus Luc Koblar is probably a long-shot
to make
the NHL,
but he does seem like a good enough bet given his family's athletic success.
His parents competed
in the Winter Olympics
for their native Slovenia: dad Jernej an alpine skier, mom Andreja a biathlete.
And Tinus is six-foot-four at just 18 years of age.
That all adds up to a decent reason for
the Maple Leafs
to make Koblar their first choice
in the NHL draft
on Saturday.
'It was an unreal experience ... I'm just excited to start,' Koblar, selected 64th, said in a conference call.
He said Anze Kopitar, the Slovenian captain of the Los Angeles Kings, is his favourite player, but added that he has followed Toronto and wore a Leafs jersey as a kid.
'I always liked the team,' said Koblar. 'Since I was a young kid, I've been watching and cheering for them.'
His parents instilled a competitive nature.
'There is nothing I like to lose at,' he said. 'They played a huge role in my competitiveness ... because both my mom and dad (competed) at a high level. I like competing at everything.'
Koblar will play in Sweden next season for Leksands IF, as will Victor Johansson, drafted 120th by the Leafs last year.
While Koblar was their top pick, the Leafs were the last team to actually make their first selection over the two days, having traded away picks in recent years. There are far more misses than hits from the second round on, although veteran defenceman Tyson Barrie (2009) and centre Vincent Trocheck have done all right after being drafted 64th.
The Leafs stayed closer to home with their next pick, Kingston centre Tyler Hopkins at No. 86. He said he models his game after Tampa Bay's Anthony Cirelli, but his favourite player is Auston Matthews.
A lifelong Leafs fan from Campbellville, he was perhaps showing his age when he said his favourite memory of the team is when they got out of the first round of the playoffs by beating the Lightning in 2023. He said he was thrilled to hear his name.
'When that moment happened, it was just pure excitement,' said Hopkins. 'Obviously to get drafted is every kid's dream, and to be drafted by your hometown team one level even better than that.'
He sees himself becoming a third-line centre in the NHL.
'Something that I've tried to work on is my defensive game over the past two years, and adding a bit of offence,' he said. 'I think at the next level, a third-line centre that plays a 200-foot game, is able to move up and down a lineup and is relied on by the coaching staff.'
One prospect Leafs fans will likely root for is William Belle, already six-foot-four and 225 pounds.
The big-bodied forward was born in China
and lived there for seven years. He sees himself in the mould of Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson.
'The power forward hockey that he plays — the simplicity of it, the physicality and that edge to him, the meanness — I feel like I can bring that,' said Belle, who is heading into his first year at Notre Dame. 'It's not necessarily that I love doing that. It's just, that's what makes me effective and it's what helps my team win. The meanness aspect of it, I'm here to win and I'm here to help my team. And I don't care who you are, I'm going to be in your face. That's just how I'm wired. That's just how I play.'
The Leafs took centre Harry Nansi from Owen Sound at No. 153, right-handed defenceman Rylan Fellinger from Flint at 185 (he turns 18 on Sept. 20) and 19-year-old forward Matthew Hlacar, an enforcer-type, with the 217th pick.
None of them will be in the NHL any time soon. All will be at development camp from July 2 to 5.
'We'll reconvene in five years to see how successful (this draft) was,' said general manager Brad Treliving. 'You judge these draft days with a calendar and not a stopwatch. But I'm really happy with the work the guys did.'