Maple Leafs Prospect Report: December 16th News and Stars

It's been a couple of weeks since my last prospect report. I was laid off from my job at the beginning of the month and let's just say my mind was not in a great place even before that. I've been doing enough prospect watching as a distraction from my general mood, though, and I'm feeling better enough to get around to writing this. Let's do a two-week catch up!

Tinus Luc Koblar (C/LW, 2nd rounder 2025)

Last two weeks: 5 goals, 5 assists (10 points) in 5 games in the World Juniors Division 1-A tournament

It's been a great month for Koblar, who temporarily left his SHL team to join Team Norway's roster at the World Juniors Division 1-A tournament. He played as the 2C and in all situations, on the top powerplay and penalty kill units. Norway won every game in the tournament to clinch their spot in next year's main World Juniors group against the top nations, and Koblar was very much a big part of that. He was named the tournament's top forward, finishing in a big tie for 3rd in points for the whole tournament and tied for the most points on his team with 5 goals andd 5 assists in their five games. He also had the highest +/- of all forwards in the tournament.

Honestly, I thought the competition Koblar played against looked way too easy for him. Which is probably something to expect for an established SHL professional against same-aged competition from countries like Ukraine, France, Slovenia, etc. He didn't look like he was trying very hard a lot of the time, but he also didn't need to. He was effortlessly dominant when any opponent tried to engage him physically and would just bounce off of him. He could weave through them in the neutral zone with ease. The passing lanes he saw were easy to come by too. Still, he was dominant when he should have been, and it was nice to see him able to show more offensive creativity. I hope he can carry some of that back to the SHL.

Ben Danford (RD, 1st rounder 2024)

Last two weeks: 1 goal, 3 assists (4 points) in 3 games
Season to date: 2 goals, 14 assists (16 points) in 23 games

Danford's offensive production continues to ride a career high for him, especially since joining Brantford. He has had four points in the three games he's played in December so far, and had a five game point streak going in the OHL before he left to join Team Canada's pre-World Juniors camp. Offense still isn't a huge part of his game, with his points coming from being able to defend well, get the puck back and then push it up the ice to Brantford's dominant forward group.

As for the World Juniors, after seeing the group of defensemen they're bringing I'm pretty confident he'll make the final cut. They have a lot of more offensively-minded defensemen who are also smaller/average for defenders, while Danford is more of a seasoned veteran, a leader on all the teams he's played for, and a guy who plays top defense and moves the puck well that can be your primary penalty killer. The others competing for the final spots include two 17 year olds who may well wind up being first rounders, even top 5 picks, but they're no Matthew Schaefers and they're also on the more offensive-minded side, still.

Victor Johansson (LD/RD, 4th rounder 2024)

Last week: 1 assist in 3 games
Season to date: 1 goal, 5 points in 13 games (Allsvenskan)

Since returning from an injury, Johansson had been eased into things back in the Allsvenskan. He played in three games with his highest ice time being 14:59. Since then, he looks to have been back to full health. He's played in at least 18 minutes in his three most recent games, including one over 21 minutes in an overtime loss. His game looks to be evolving but slowly, I still want to see him be more consistently assertive and aware when he's in his own zone, but every other part of his game still looks great. I hope he gets the call to the SHL team soon.

News & Notes

Tyler Hopkins (C, 3rd rounder in 2025) – There isn't much to talk about with Hopkins. He's played in two games at the start of the month, scoring one goal in each. But he hasn't gotten into a game since then due to an injury. I haven't seen any definitive word on what the injury is or when he's expected back. But he wasn't in the lineup as of Sunday's game.

Timofei Obvintsev (G, 5th rounder in 2024) – The good news is that Obvintsev has gotten into more games more frequently in December, including three straight games. The bad news is that those games have either been from him being pulled early, or filling in for the starter who got shelled. Either way, seeing him get into games is always better than not, but his short sample stats to start the season have dropped from being good to pretty meh... albeit, still only in 6 games.

Harry Nansi (C/RW, 5th rounder in 2025) – After getting into the top 5 in the OHL in points through most of November, Nansi hit a real cold spell since November 21st when he had a 3 point game. He's played 10 games since then, and only has 1 goal and 3 points. Two of those points came in his most recent game on Sunday, so hopefully he's getting back into form. I haven't really noticed his play fall off so much, but as a supporting player I've gotten the impression his points drying up has a lot to do with the star players on his line and on the powerplay going cold. Not to completely excuse Nansi, it's showing that he is not capable of driving a line on his own. Not yet, at least.

Thanks for reading!

I put a lot of work into my prospect articles here, both for the draft and Toronto's prospects. I do it as a fun hobby for me, and I'd probably do it in some capacity even if PPP completely ceased to exist. But if you like reading my work, some support would go a long way! I pay for a few streaming services (CHL, NCAA, USHL, the occasional TSN options for international tournaments that are broadcast) to be able to reliably watch these prospects in good quality streams. I also pay for some prospect-specific resources, such as tracking data and scouting reports from outlets like Elite Prospects, Future Considerations, McKeen's Hockey, The Athletic, and more.

Being able to get paid for this helps me dedicate more time and resources to it, rather than to second/third jobs. And whatever money I make here, a lot of I reinvest back into my prospect work through in those streaming and scouting services. Like I said, I'd be doing whatever I can afford for this anyway, so any financial help I get through this is greatly appreciated!