Sweden Stock Watch: Maple Leafs prospect Tinus Luc Koblar improving fast with Leksands IF

We have reached the time of the year when we are closing in on the World Juniors, which is always a big event for Swedish hockey fans. The fact that the games are in North America and the games play out in the middle of the night most of the time doesn’t seem to affect the hype, as many Swedes are on holiday leave during those two weeks. The prospect hype in general right now is very high, too, as Ivar Stenberg's record-setting SHL season is catching the attention of every media house in the country.

We have also directed a lot of attention to Stenberg and his season here at EP as well, but in this article I will focus on some non-first round affiliated prospects and how they are developing. Most of them will be playing at the World Juniors, too.

Stock Rising 📈  

Tinus Luc Koblar, C, Leksands IF (Toronto Maple Leafs)

The Toronto Maple Leafs surprised many, including us, when they chose Tinus Luc Koblar with the last pick in the second round this summer. Koblar was an intriguing prospect with his size, compete level and skating but wasn’t a standout player at the junior level by any means last season. 

This season, he has proven Toronto right so far. Koblar has been a regular centre in the SHL and plays in key moments too. He got a chance to play when Leksands had injury problems, but has been good enough to stick with the team all season so far. His best plays in the SHL have been more spectacular than his best plays at the junior level. His skating technique was good last season as well, but his speed has really improved. He handles the puck well at high pace and wins battles along the boards and in front of the net. 

He has played on Leksands' power play and looks like a decent playmaker and an okay shooter there as well. I see a player that will have a good chance of playing in the NHL in a bottom-six centre role. He can contribute with offense but has his biggest strengths in his speed, size and physical skills. I wouldn’t be surprised if he steps over next season and plays his first games in the big league within a couple of years.

Herman Träff, RW, IK Oskarshamn (Anaheim Ducks)

Herman Träff, who turns 20 on New Year's Eve (one day too old to be eligible for the World Juniors), is scoring at a point-per-game pace in HockeyAllsvenskan so far. He has improved his power forward style to being a much more active force than in previous seasons. He is more active off the puck, and he also gets more involved in transition, and uses his speed and size to create chances, mostly for himself. 

Träff is a shoot-first player, and leads his team in shots on goal by far. He has a heavy slap shot that he likes to use on the power play left circle and a dangerous wrist shot he uses while skating with the puck. He has an attacking mindset and seeks the net. His defensive plays and tactical sense still could use improvement but with his size, speed and aggression he is an interesting player that will most likely step over in a year or two. Anaheim acquired the rights to Träff from the New Jersey Devils at the deadline for Brian Dumoulin, and it looks like the Ducks might have found an interesting complementary piece to their pipeline.

Loke Krantz, RW, Linköpings HC (Seattle Kraken)

It’s not every year you see a seventh round pick step into the SHL at 18 and stick around long term. 6-foot-2 power forward Loke Krantz, who had only 17 points in 44 junior games last season, has looked like he belongs at the pro level. 

Krantz skates well with the puck and is a good transitional player. Un the offensive zone, he seeks the shortest route to the net. He is a shoot-first forward and isn’t shy to crash the net for rebounds. He is good at protecting the puck and to win puck battles around the boards. He lacks dynamic offensive tools and is more of a bottom-six forward-type. Like most 7th rounders, the NHL is a long shot, but his first half of his draft-plus-one season is impressing many, including Sweden’s U20 coach, Magnus Hävelid, who recently selected him for Sweden's World Juniors roster.

Vashek Blanár, D, HV71 U20 (Boston Bruins)

Vashek Blanár was a draft pick from out of nowhere this summer, when Boston selected him in the 4th round out of lower-level junior hockey in Sweden. Blanar has since moved to the top junior league to play for HV71, and has translated well. He has gotten some sniffs at the pro level, but still awaits a real debut. He is a raw, fast-skating defenceman with size. 

He shows a lot of skill handling the puck at speed, and made some impressive coast-to-coast plays traveling with the puck. He has also earned a spot on Czechia's World Junior team, despite not being on a national team roster before this season. Next season, he is bound to play for UMass in the NCAA. He is still raw and needs a lot of refinement in his game, especially tactically and how he defends, but it ‘s hard not to see his potential and the runway his late development and impressive tools give him. 

Stock Steady ↔️

Jack Berglund, C, Färjestad BK (Philadelphia Flyers)

Jack Berglund, who was selected in the second round in 2024, has been excelling in the SHL as of late. He has gotten more and more ice-time, and is used in key situations. He plays a heavy game, is a strong puck protector, and wins a lot of puck battles. He is also strong in front of and around the crease. He is skilled with the puck in tight areas and creates his own scoring chances. 

He has almost all the bottom-six tools you want. I wrote “almost” intentionally, as his lack of speed still is a big issue in his game, and I am still not convinced he is a player that can play in the NHL long term. He will have a key role in the upcoming World Juniors for Sweden, and it will be interesting to see if his lack of footspeed will limit him on smaller ice surfaces as well. 

Stock Falling 📉 

Linus Eriksson, C, Timrå IK (Florida Panthers)

Linus Eriksson, who was selected in the second in 2024, has struggled to score this season. He has played as a bottom-six centre, and has his biggest strengths on the defensive side of the game. His scoring hasn’t just been low though: he actually hasn’t scored at all yet. 

He is one of his team's most physical players, and an effective checker. His defensive game is developing accordingly. He plays responsibly in all three zones, and gets a lot of trust on the penalty kill. At even strength, he is a good transitional contributor, but as soon as he gets close to the net, he will make a simple non-threatening play. 

As a junior player, Eriksson was a decent playmaker, and was always on one of the top-lines in the national teams. He also has a good shot and scored important goals when he came up from junior to HockeyAllsvenskan in his draft season. Now, his offense seems lost. He will probably be a bottom-six centre for Sweden at the World Juniors for the second year in a row as he hasn’t taken that offensive step yet, and his chances to make the NHL will also be very small if he can’t add decent offence to his game.