Maple Leafs notebook: Tinus Luc Koblar leads Norway into semifinals at IIHF World Championship
Welcome to an offseason edition of Maple Leafs notebook, where we examine current events in the hockey world. As the Maple Leafs continue their offseason, several players are featuring at the 2026 IIHF World Championship, while the organization continues their search for the next head coach.
Tinus Luc Koblar leads Norway into semifinals at IIHF World Championship
The Tinus Luc Koblar Show will be back after this announcement! Koblar continues to be one of the stories of the 2026 IIHF World Championship, leading Norway into the semifinals. Toronto’s 2025 second-round pick scored the game’s opening goal against Latvia, steering Norway to a 2-0 victory. Norway will square off against Switzerland in the semifinals on Saturday.
Koblar ranks 12th in tournament scoring with six goals and nine points in eight games. Although Koblar wasn’t lauded for his scoring touch entering his draft year, he’s showing an ability to get to the net-front and he’s clearly keeping pace with some of the world’s best players on the international stage. It’s been a genuine breakout tournament for Koblar, and although he’s not expected to meaningfully compete for an NHL roster spot this fall, he’ll certainly be a prospect of interest heading into Maple Leafs’ training camp.
John Tavares and Morgan Rielly will aim to elevate Canada over Finland on Saturday. Tavares has recorded three goals and six points in eight games, while Rielly has recorded three assists. Canada defeated the United States 4-0 in the quarterfinals. Joseph Woll did not start for the United States after a brutal tournament, where he surrendered the crease to Jet Greaves for the elimination round.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson submitted a much better tournament for Sweden, recording three goals and nine points, while captaining his country. Ekman-Larsson and Sweden were eliminated in a 3-1 loss to Switzerland. Although it’s certainly a disappointing result, Ekman-Larsson was arguably Sweden’s best player at the event, coming off a season where he was the Maple Leafs’ best defenceman.
Sponsored by bet365
