After the end of the 2025 NHL Draft, Director of Amateur Scouting Mark Leach discussed the six selections made by the Maple Leafs and the emphasis on size throughout the class.
What did you like about Tinus Luc Koblar at the end of the second round?
Leach: He is a big, strong, 6’4 player who has a unique background. His parents are both Olympians. They did not play the game or were involved in the game of hockey. He took to it. He went off to Sweden to evolve his game.
He just has a very good knack for the net, knack down low, and a knack for playing on the wall. He can pick the puck off the wall and compete in hard areas. He has some pretty good elements to his game.
How about Tyler Hopkins in the third round?
Leach: To me, he is a 200-foot player. He plays in the hard areas. He is smart; he reads and anticipates the game. He has to get stronger and get a little quicker.
That is a part of it. When you pick guys in certain areas, they have some issues they have to work on and improve upon.
How about Harry Nansi and Rylan Fellinger?
Leach: Nansi is big, raw, rangy. His skating has to get quicker. His feet have to get better. But he is a kid who really works and competes. He gets to the harder areas.
Fellinger is another guy who is interesting. He is big and rangy. He has a long reach. He moves the puck. He is willing to really get involved. He plays a two-way game. He is a big body who can move. His game is simple; he moves it well and closes fast. He likes to defend and box people out. He is just a pretty big, strong kid for his age. As time goes on with him, he is just going to have to work on his game a little bit.
When you get that size factor, it helps a lot. One of our later picks is Matthew Hlacar, who is a really hard-nosed, competitive, big man. He skates well and gets in there. He is really a unique element. He likes to play in your face.
One of the things we discussed a little bit here is that we wanted guys who compete, who battle, and who have a great work ethic. If you have those things in your game, you have a chance to get better at certain things.
Again, some of these kids are going to have to find their role, find their niche in the game, and do what they have to do. When you find those kids with that work ethic and that compete, they know who they are. They know what kind of game they have to play. If they work on those elements, they’ll find a role.
There is a role for everybody. As you saw in the playoffs, size matters. Toughness matters. Competitiveness matters. We hope we filled some of those roles with some of these kids.
Were you targeting size, then?
Leach: It happened to be there at times. We talked about guys who were maybe a little bit smaller, but when you are talking apples to apples, we felt size was a big factor involved because there wasn’t much difference in their skill set.
That is one of the elements I like. Going back years, I have drafted smaller guys, but those small guys have to be so highly skilled, so highly intelligent, and probably have a knack for scoring. That is when I defer to size.
The game of hockey is hard. If you watch the playoff grind, it is a battle.
Tinus Luc Koblar and Tyler Hopkins mentioned modeling their games after Anze Kopitar and Anthony Cirelli, respectively. Was there an emphasis on finding the types of players who model themselves after the best defensive forwards in the league?
Leach: On that end of it, these are big guys who can skate, are smart, and can play two-ways. They are good players. They don’t have a great asset in their game, but they have very good assets throughout their game. In that respect, they have something to build on. They have some size. They can move. They have some hockey sense and IQ. They compete in hard areas.
Will Belle won over Leafs fans hearts right away by saying he wants to be the Tom Wilson for the team. What do you like about him?
Leach: He is a big body with a unique background. It is a unique situation where he came from. He can skate extremely well. He has a passion for the game. He knows what he is. I think he is willing to do what it takes. He wants to just get at it.
Belle said he likes playing north-south hockey and mean hockey. Is that part of the calculus?
Leach: That is part of his game. When you watch him throughout the whole year, that is the way he played. He has those elements in his game. His size is a big factor, and he skates extremely well. He is a very competitive, hard-working kid.
What is the benefit of having two kids together at Leksands next season with Victor Johansson and Koblar?
Leach: I think it will be a benefit for these kids. It is a really good organization. They have a history of developing players for a long, long time. It is going to be a good spot for our development people to go to and work with those players.
Maple Leafs’ 2025 Draft Selections
 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round (Overall) | Player | Position | Ht/Wt | Country | Team/League | Profile |
| 2 (64*) | Tinus Luc Koblar | LHC | 6'3, 190 | Norway | Leksands IF (J20) | READ |
| 3 (86**) | Tyler Hopkins | LHC | 6'1, 183 | Canada | Kingston (OHL) | READ |
| 5 (137***) | Will Belle | RW | 6'4, 225 | USA | USNTDP | READ |
| 5 (153) | Harry Nansi | RHC/W | 6'3, 185 | Canada | Owen Sound (OHL) | READ |
| 6 (185) | Rylan Fellinger | RD | 6'4, 196 | Canada | Flint (OHL) | READ |
| 7 (217) | Matthew Hlacar | LW | 6'3, 201 | Canada | Kitchener (OHL) | READ |
**The Sharks acquired Timothy Liljegren from the Maple Leafs for Matt Benning, a 2026 6th round pick, and a conditional 2025 3rd round pick (via COL)
***The Penguins acquired Conor Timmins and Connor Dewar from the Maple Leafs for a 2025 5th round pick
