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How Maple Leafs Prospect Tinus Luc Koblar Performed At Training Camp
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- How Maple Leafs Prospect Tinus Luc Koblar Performed At Training Camp
The Toronto Maple Leafs made many roster moves on Thursday, now that their NHL pre-season has concluded. Ahead of their trip to Arizona for some off-ice bonding, the team sent down several players, rounding out the roster for opening night on Tuesday against the Montreal Canadiens .
Among that bunch was Maple Leafs prospect and 19-year-old center Tinus Luc Koblar. Koblar was returned to the SHL and will be with Rogle for the 2026-27 season. The SHL regular season has already kicked off, with Rogle off to a 1-2-0 start after the first three outings.
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Koblar being sent back to the SHL leads to some questions about how he performed at training camp, especially considering he was eligible to be assigned to the AHL's Toronto Marlies for this season.
There is a rule that prevents 19-year-olds from playing in the American League unless they are a first-round pick. Koblar was selected in the second round of the 2025 draft. However, that ruling only applies to players who were drafted by major junior teams, and Koblar has only played in Europe to this point in his young hockey career.
At any rate, that decision should echo the type of training camp the youngster had in Toronto.
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In terms of the pre-season action that anyone could see him in, he played in two of the two possible games.
His first game was at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday against the Canadiens. He had a minus-one rating and played 11:29 of ice time in that contest, playing the role of the fourth-line center and getting time on the second power-play unit.
In the second game, against the Ottawa Senators , at the Canadian Tire Centre, he had a minus-one rating again and logged 15:39 of ice time.
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In other words, his performance in the pre-season wasn't anything to write home about, but nothing concerning either. But with that in mind, it's also not the full picture of NHL training camp.
What could carry more weight in the ultimate decision to send him back to Sweden is how he practised with the team, and in my eyes, there's definitely room for improvement. And that's the case with any young player, but this is what I gathered from the sessions in between the pre-season appearances.
Koblar skated with Group 2 throughout training camp. He was given an opportunity to play alongside some solid players, including Brendan Brisson and Vinni Lettieri , as well as power-play reps. The coaching staff made an effort to put him in a comfortable situation.
But from my perspective, and seeing every day of training camp, something was missing from the Norwegian .
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At times, he stuck out like a sore thumb, either because of his still-developing skating ability or because he hadn't played much hockey in North America before this training camp. Whatever it was, it was evident in certain drills.
There was one part of a drill where Koblar was supposed to skate behind the net to pick up a puck from head coach Jim Hiller, but he had gotten a little lost for a split second, enough for the coach to tell him where to go in the middle of the action.
Once he got to the right spot behind the net, he couldn't fully control the puck, adding a few more seconds to his rep. He then grabbed whatever puck was nearby and went through the motion of the drill, finding a teammate waiting in front of the net to receive a pass from him.
It was just one niche moment of training camp and pre-season, a time to shake off the rust, but it was an awkward instance that Hiller had a premium view of.
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There was a sense of Koblar being uncomfortable or not fitting in. Make no mistake, he competed and worked hard all training camp. But that altercation - as well as being a newcomer to the group, a 19-year-old, and not having much experience playing in North America - resulted in a camp that Koblar probably believes he could've done better.
Between the uncommon moments, Koblar showed signs of growth and potential to be a great player. Though his skating isn't the final form that it needs to be, it has improved from years prior. He also has a powerful shot and does utilize his 6-foot-3 frame to his advantage, especially along the walls.
Ultimately, Koblar is still a young, developing player, and there isn't immediate pressure for him to be an automatic difference-maker in the Maple Leafs' system.
He'll almost certainly get at least a spot on the Marlies next season when he's 20, and maybe an opportunity to challenge for an NHL roster spot in 2027-28, but who knows what the organization will look like then, or if Koblar is even still a member of the Maple Leafs.
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