Hopkins is stand-out performer at Leafs development camp
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Players at Leafs development camp skated in two groups at the Ford Performance Centre on Saturday.
One name kept popping up when players at Leafs development camp were asked who stood out during the three on-ice sessions.
"Tyler Hopkins looked really good," said winger Ryan Kirwan, who signed an American Hockey League deal with the Toronto Marlies in March after wrapping up his season with Arizona State University. "He's such a smooth skater. He handles the puck really well from what I got to see, and just really poised."
The Leafs picked Hopkins, a centre with the Kingston Frontenacs, in the third round (86th overall) of last week's NHL draft.
"I thought Hopkins looked great all week," echoed defenceman Blake Smith, who signed with the Leafs in April after finishing his Ontario Hockey League season with the Flint Firebirds. "He's a good pickup. He was good, shifty, he was tough to defend out there. I like his game a lot."
It wasn't just the prospects on the ice, who appreciated how Hopkins performed.
"He stood out for me as well just because of his hockey sense," said Leafs assistant general manager, player development Hayley Wickenheiser. "He made some really nice plays. Not an overly big kid (6-foot-1, 179 pounds), not an overly fast kid, but you notice him out there many times just by the ability to complete plays and put the puck on people's sticks."
The Leafs saw those attributes last season as Hopkins scored 20 goals and piled up 31 assists during 67 games. It's a good sign that the 18-year-old looked so comfortable despite facing older players and experiencing his first few days in the Leafs organization.
"It was nice to see," Wickenheiser continued. "That's kind of what we saw of him in the draft as well, and it seemed to translate the last few days."
"Honestly, I felt pretty good," said Hopkins. "None of those nerves really came out. Once I hit the ice everyone was real welcoming here."
Hopkins even agreed to wear a microphone during one practice for a fun feature, which was posted to the team's social media channels.
The native of Campbellville, Ont., grew up a Leafs fan.
"Putting the jersey on for the first time is probably my favourite moment," Hopkins said. "Just being a Leafs fan growing up, putting that stuff on for the first time was a pretty cool experience and something that I'll never forget."
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Toronto's top pick in the 2025 draft was the last player on the ice at development camp. Tinus Luc Koblar, a centre who played for Leksands in the Swedish junior league last season, was still working on his craft when Wickenheiser did her camp debrief with the media.
"Just trying to develop," Koblar said. "Putting in extra work to get as best as possible, and trying to out compete the other guys."
The Leafs selected Koblar with the final pick of the second round (64th overall) in last week's draft.
"He's a very serious kid," said Wickenheiser. "Comes from a family and a background of understanding what training and work ethic is all about ... He's been a bright spot in camp."
Both of Koblar's parents made it to the Olympics. His dad was an alpine skier while his mom competed in biathlon.
Koblar stands 6-foot-4, but is still filling out his frame at 187 pounds. The 17-year-old from Norway did not back down from anyone this week.
"He doesn't give up much on the ice," said Wickenheiser. "He gets pushed around a little bit and then he pushes right back. So, like what I saw there."
In one drill on Saturday, Koblar knocked down Sudbury Wolves forward Alex Pharand away from the puck. The 20-year-old, who was picked by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2023, gave Koblar a small cross-check in the back in response. Koblar skated right to Pharand at the end of the rep and got in his ear.
"I would say it has been through my childhood," Koblar said of his competitiveness. "I've always been battling with my [older] brother. He's bigger, stronger, but I don't let down."
Wickenheiser also liked the offensive instincts Koblar showed at the camp. He scored eight goals in 43 games last season, but the upside is evident.
"He has really good hands," said Oshawa Generals defenceman Ben Danford, who was keeping an eye on Koblar while waiting for his turn in front of the media. "He's got a really good shot. Even watching him out here 10 seconds ago I think he just went bar down four times in a row. So, yeah, I think he's going to be a really special player soon. He's really good."
Koblar will be staying in Toronto for another week to continue working at the Leafs facility. Despite being selected by the Brampton Steelheads in the CHL import draft, Koblar plans to play in Sweden once again next season.
The Leafs have been in win-now mode for a while now, which has left their prospect pool depleted. Toronto did not make a first-round pick in the 2025 draft and the Leafs do not own their first-round pick in 2026 or 2027 either. So, it's crucial that some of the picks they make later in the draft, like Hopkins and Koblar, hit.
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It's not always easy for the new draft picks to make an impression at the development camp.
"I feel like last year coming in I was a bit nervous and everything," said Danford, who was the Leafs' first-round pick (31st overall) in 2024. "This year I got to soak in a little bit more maybe because I wasn't as stressed out and knowing a lot of people coming into this."
Danford appeared calm throughout the camp. The Leafs want to see more of that calmness next season.
"I don't think Ben has to do anything different," said Wickenheiser. "He just needs to be more of what he is. He's a great skating puck transporter. He can play physical when he has to. He's great at playing up in the play. I think just the calm around his game, picking his spots more, knowing that he doesn't have to do two different jobs on the ice [is key]. Sometimes he tries [to], because he skates so well. You can skate yourself right out of the play a little bit and so it's just actually calming that down and being a little bit more of who he is and trusting in himself."
Danford doesn't want to play safe, necessarily, but agreed it's important to make the right risk-reward assessments on the ice.
"I just need to keep things a little bit more simple at times," Danford acknowledged. "I can't overcomplicate things. When you go to the next level you need to get to the trust of the coaches and that's not from overcomplicating things, turning over pucks. You need to keep it simple, play the right way."
Danford felt the three days of on-ice sessions were really helpful this year and illustrated what the NHL is all about.
"We worked on transition, rush and compete, and they really wanted us to know that that's really what the NHL game revolves around," the 19-year-old from Belleville, Ont. said. "I'm really going to take that away from this camp, knowing those things. It was an eye opener. A lot of give and goes, a lot of chips, you gotta move your feet at all times so that was really helpful to get to know that stuff."
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Players at the development camp got the opportunity to watch a few of the current Leafs take part in a summer skate on Friday.
"One of the cool things about doing development camp is we have these guys that are skating before, some of the pros that are in town, so we give the players a chance to watch them," said Wickenheiser.
The prospects came away amazed by the work ethic displayed by 34-year-old centre John Tavares.
"It looks like he could play in a World Championship game right now, the biggest game you put him in," said Hopkins. "It looks like he's in great shape, and a lot of people here have touched on how hard he works and it's pretty clear to see that when you see him on the ice. He's going as hard as he can every rep and sticking to those little details."
During a question-and-answer session with the prospects on Friday, former Leafs defenceman Mark Giordano was asked about the best professionals he spent time around during his lengthy career.
"His first answer was John Tavares," Wickenheiser revealed. "I've trained with John myself over the years, and he's just the ultimate pro. He doesn't leave any details unturned, and he has a plan for himself ... It's an opportunity to just see, 'Oh, that's what it takes to get to that level.' John is the epitome of that."
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Prior to the question period, Giordano spoke to the prospects about his career path.
"I thought his story was incredible considering he was undrafted like myself," said defenceman John Prokop, who signed a one-year deal with the Leafs in March after concluding his season at Union College. "It was really cool to see his journey, his ups and downs, and how he persevered."
"It was a motivating speech," said Kitchener Rangers winger Matthew Hlacar, who went undrafted in the OHL before getting selected by the Leafs in the seventh and final round (217th overall) in the 2025 draft. "It showed guys anything is possible if you put the work in."
Giordano explained how, after bouncing between the AHL and NHL for a couple seasons, he decided to play in Russia. The Toronto native bet on himself and eventually became the Calgary Flames captain and a Norris Trophy winner at age 35.
"I think there's a lot of players sitting, listening to Gio, that said, 'That's me,' and 'That could be me,'" Wickenheiser observed. "The career that he had, being undrafted coming in and eventually winning a Norris Trophy, is really an incredible story. But when he starts to speak about the road, and how much commitment and effort and what he learned along the way, I think probably those players sitting there listening go, 'I can do it but, boy, it takes a lot of work to get there.'"
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Wickenheiser was asked if there was an overriding message or theme that she wanted all the prospects to take from the week.
"The theme this week we talked a lot about was details matter," the four-time Olympic gold medalist said. "The difference often between making it from this level to the next and the next is the little things that you do when nobody's watching. We talked about the details on the ice, but also off the ice. The way you train, you carry yourself, you eat, you work out in the gym, all those things add up over time, and consistency over time is often what separates."