It took Norway 75 years to finally earn a medal in an IIHF tournament, and a lot of it was in large part to Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Tinus Luc Koblar.
Norway stunned Canada in the bronze medal game of the IIHF World Championships on Sunday. After Robert Thomas tied the game for Canada with eight seconds left, Norway's Noah Steen scored the sudden death game-winner. It was their first medal ever in an IIHF-sanctioned tournament and a huge part of that also looks like a huge part of Toronto's future - Tinus Luc Koblar.
Koblar, 18, finished his tournament with nine points in 10 games (6 goals, 3 assists) to go along with a very impressive plus-9 rating, 10 PIM and 13 shots on goal.
Norway stuns Canada for historic IIHF World Championship finish after sudden death thriller
Though he didn't score on Sunday, he did finish with a plus-two and made some history in the process:
Koblar helped steer the Norwegians to their first IIHF medal ever in their history, and Norway's Kristian Ostby believes this is going to be a turning point in the country's newfound passion for hockey:
This is huge. Hockey fever is back in Norway. Hopefully we are starting something new today and can get more people to play, build more rinks. Hopefully this is a turning point.
You have to hand it to Norway, who was never really looked at as the dominant force especially with the likes of Canada, Sweden, Switzerland, Finland and the United States. They finished the tournament with a 4-1-1-1 record and finished fourth overall based on points; and now the bronze on top.
Tinus Luc Koblar's tournament shows that Toronto is going to have someone special in their prospect pipeline
When Koblar was drafted last season, the Maple Leafs really didn't get thumbs up from fans or the hockey media as he was kind of a head scratcher. However this tournament proves that not only can he face top level competition and succeed - but Toronto got a genuine steal.
He outscored potential 2026 #1 overall pick Ivar Stenberg, and provides a very well-rounded two-way game who happens to also be an athletic monster at 6-foot-3, 200 pounds at 18 years old. His skating stride is smooth yet powerful, and he doesn't look lost when back checking.
Koblar is someone who has genuine 2C potential in Toronto, and with the inclusion of Gavin McKenna, Easton Cowan, Matthew Knies, Ben Danford, and Miroslav Holinka you start to see how deep and exciting this Maple Leafs prospect pool is.
It's not easy to find a two-way defensively sound teenager, especially not one who can step into a tournament featuring Sidney Crosby, Macklin Celebrini, Matthew Tkachuk, and Lucas Raymond and keep them at bay.
He may not be ready to make the leap to the NHL just yet, but Tinus Luc Koblar just proved to everyone that he's more than just an off the board pick - he's a force to be reckoned with.
Will Tinus Luc Koblar be part of the Maple Leafs core in the next five years?
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