Latest news with #TylerHopkins
Toronto Sun
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Toronto Sun
MAPLE LEAF NOTES: Draft pick Tyler Hopkins already a card-carrying fan
Tyler Hopkins poses after being drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs with the 86th overall pickof the 2025 Upper Deck NHL Draft at Peacock Theater on June 28. Photo by Bruce Bennett / Getty Images Picked between two fellow prospects born in China and Slovenia, Tyler Hopkins definitely has the better connections to the Maple Leafs. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. 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Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The Campbellville native has been to many games at Scotiabank Arena and follows the team religiously, thus the sweater and cap looked perfectly natural when he put them on Saturday at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. Hopkins was at one of the playoff games in the 2023 series where the Leafs eliminated Tampa Bay, their first series win in 2013. 'It's every kid's dream to get drafted and to be drafted by your hometown team is the jackpot,' said the 6-foot-1 Kingston Frontenacs' center. 'Two birds with one stone.' Waiting in the seats with his parents and relatives as the third round progressed was tense. 'I was checking in on the Toronto picks and knew I'd be in that range (86th overall),' he said. 'When that moment happened, it was just pure excitement.' Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. When Mitch Marner's new address is settled and Toronto's full free agent situation is settled, general manager Brad Treliving will get down to some book worming . Specifically, studying the new four-year collective bargaining agreement tentatively approved by the commissioner's office and the players association last week, completed a year ahead of scheduled talks. While the basic financial framework of salary cap and most contract language stays in place, changes set to begin in 2026-27 include a playoff salary cap, holding the rights of unsigned players until age 22 and a return to the 84-game schedule of the early 1990s. 'It's a road map moving forward,' Treliving said. 'Before, we'd get to this spot a year out (from CBA expiration) and use assumptions (on what a new pact could contain). This helps you plan a bit, gives you a better idea of what the future holds.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Treliving didn't get into whether he was among the majority of 26 GMs who voted for a de-centralized draft. The widely-panned, slow-moving format created some awkward TV moments when the team and its prospects connected for the first time via a live broadcast. Yet Treliving saw some positives. 'You are able to freely communicate in the (team war room) a little more than be jammed up at tables. I love the draft. It's unique in our sport to talk face-to-face with other managers and you lose that feeling. But the benefit of being de-centralized is the calendar. We'd be all scrambling back on planes right now (to cram in meetings for July 1 free agency). That's the big benefit of being at home.' LEAFS LIKE LEKSANDS The Leafs will be paying lots of attention to the Swedish junior league club Leksands the next few years. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. They now have two picks on that team, defenceman Victor Johansson, chosen 120th last season, and Saturday's first selection, centre Tinus-Luc Koblar, who went 64th overall on Saturday. 'It will be a benefit for these kids, it's a really good organization,' said Mark Leach, director of amateur scouting for the Leafs. 'They have a history of developing players and it's a good spot for our development people to go to.' Leksands NHL grads include Filip Forsberg, Pelle Eklund and current Leaf defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson. MORE DRAFT TIDBITS Koblar wouldn't be the first Leaf of Slovenian descent. Both early 2000s' forward Matt Stajan's grandparents were from there … The two-day draft's 224 total picks covered 17 birth countries, the most in 21 years. They included Koblar, Belle from Dongguan, China, Simon (Haoxi) Wang from Beijing, chosen 33rd by San Jose and Jakob Ihs-Wozniak from Adelaide, Australia, a second rounder of the Golden Knights … Kitchener Rangers' winger Matthew Hlacar, Toronto's last pick at 217th, has a long road to the NHL from that slot. But another Leaf chosen at 217, Cornwall (OHL) forward Mike Tomlak, played 141 games in the show, albeit for the Hartford Whalers six years after Toronto selected him in 1983 … The lowest drafted Leaf ever to play for the team (285th) was Swedish defenceman Staffan Kronwall, brother of Red Wings' Niklas, who played 52 games in the early 2000s. Lhornby@ X: @sunhornby Read More Toronto Maple Leafs Toronto Maple Leafs Toronto & GTA Sports Sunshine Girls
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Centres Koblar and Hopkins are first two Leaf picks at NHL draft
The Maple Leafs waited a long time for their first pick at the NHL draft, then went a long way to find him. Welcome to Toronto Tinus Luc Koblar, a wispy 6-foot-3 centre of Norwegian-Slovenian descent, who played for Leksands juniors in the Swedish league. He was ranked 56th among international skaters by Central Scouting and had eight goals and 21 points in 43 games last season. The Leafs picked 56th overall on Saturday at the end of the second round, having traded their first-rounder to Chicago and holding Florida's selection. They last went for a Norwegian-born player in 2010, Sondre Olden, another tall kid, who also played in Sweden and though he came to camp in North America, he never made the NHL. In the third round, 86th overall, Toronto looked closer to home with Tyler Hopkins, a 6-foot-1 centre with the Kingston Frontenacs. The Campbellville native amassed 51 points in 67 games with five assists in 11 playoff appearances. Koblar had not warranted a lot of ice time this year in Leksands, in part because of his age (17). He's the second Leksands player Toronto has taken in as many years after Victor Johansson at 120th last season behind first rounder Ben Danford. Koblar has seen a lot of action for the Norwegian junior team in international competition. The Leafs last went for a Norwegian born player in 2010, forward Sondre Olden, another tall kid, who also played in Sweden and though he came to camp in North America, he never made the NHL. Koblar was not at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles when league deputy commissioner Bill Daly read his name, though he spoke to the Leaf management team back in expected he'll attend the Leafs development camp next week in Toronto. Lhornby@ X: @sunhornby
National Post
a day ago
- Sport
- National Post
Centres Koblar and Hopkins are first two Leaf picks at NHL draft
The Maple Leafs waited a long time for their first pick at the NHL draft, then went a long way to find him. Article content Welcome to Toronto Tinus Luc Koblar, a wispy 6-foot-3 centre of Norwegian-Slovenian descent, who played for Leksands juniors in the Swedish league. He was ranked 56 th among international skaters by Central Scouting and had eight goals and 21 points in 43 games last season. Article content Article content Article content Welcome to the family, Tinus Luc Koblar 🔹 — Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) June 28, 2025 Article content The Leafs picked 56th overall on Saturday at the end of the second round, having traded their first-rounder to Chicago and holding Florida's selection. They last went for a Norwegian-born player in 2010, Sondre Olden, another tall kid, who also played in Sweden and though he came to camp in North America, he never made the NHL. Article content In the third round, 86th overall, Toronto looked closer to home with Tyler Hopkins, a 6-foot-1 centre with the Kingston Frontenacs. The Campbellville native amassed 51 points in 67 games with five assists in 11 playoff appearances. Article content
