The Maple Leafs found a teenager in Sweden putting up the same numbers Adrian Kempe did at the same age

When Tinus Luc Koblar was drafted with the Leafs' first pick in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, 64th overall, the Norwegian center was given mixed reviews as a player with raw talent, but also viewed as a reach, especially with Toronto's lack of prospect depth and using their first pick on a player projected to go later. However, Koblar has taken major leaps in his game this season that saw the 18-year-old go from a player who could need a long runway to a surprise fixture in pro hockey and compares nicely to Kings star Adrian Kempe.

Having been expected to do another season in the Swedish U20 where he played his draft year, Koblar surprised many by making the roster of SHL club Leksands.

Koblar had eight goals and 14 points in 47 games this season for Leksands, involved on the club's power play and getting top-six chances despite being one of the team's youngest players.

Tinus Luc Koblar's numbers this season were promising, especially given the amount of growth to his game done in a short period of time.

Koblar's production mirrors similarly that of Minnesota Wild center Joel Eriksson Ek and Los Angeles Kings center Adrian Kempe as similar comparables.

On the flip side, Koblar also compares similar to busts in Jacob De La Rose and Filip Hallander. Some of Koblar's rise was aided by Leksands being a subpar team, finishing last in the SHL and relegated to the second tier Allsvenskan.

Koblar finished with a -15 on the season, which even though +/- aren't the most useful stat, no NHL-drafted SHL player in their D+1 with a -10 or greater is playing in the NHL today.

Although +/- isn't everything compared to analytics, it actually is quite useful when analyzing a young player's reliability. Luckily for Koblar, playing on the league's worst team can explain some of those woes.

Still, Adrian Kempe is one example of being able to overlook the +/- fear, having been a -8 in his first season. Koblar, who is expected to move to Rogle next season, will get another chance to prove himself on what should be a better team.

A better group of teammates and higher competition should hopefully accelerate his development as playing against some of the best international players in the world can only give him the motivation to keep pace.

Comparing Tinus Luc Koblar to Adrian Kempe and Joel Eriksson Ek are merely statistical comparables rather than upside ones, but he has the profile of a player who could become a dependable NHL center.

Adrian Kempe has been a high scoring offensive forward in Los Angeles, while Eriksson Ek has been one of the league's top defensive centers. Koblar doesn't project as a top-six center just yet, but he wasn't expected to play pro hockey this season either.

Koblar is a reliable two-way center who has shown that he can improve on his game and take the leaps necessary to further himself.

Playing against men at the World Championship, Koblar has two points in two games, although against Slovakia and Slovenia, it's another sign that Koblar, once viewed as a player who could need years to mature his game, is coming into form at a far more rabid pace than initially expected.

It will be worth watching how big of a step Koblar can take next season on his new team, and how higher he can take his game to another level, already having surpassed expectations since being drafted. If he continues on his path, Koblar could be in Toronto in no time.

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