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A 6-foot-3, China-raised winger who wants to be Toronto’s Tom Wilson.

The son of two Winter Olympians with roots between Slovenia and Norway.

Six picks in all, standing north of 6-foot-1. If new Maple Leafs’ amateur scouting director Mark Leach doesn’t get some good players from late-round selections in this year’s draft, he certainly acquired some great stories.

But thorough research with coaches, execs, family and friends is what Leach and his staff pride themselves on. So don’t dismiss Tinus-Luc Koblar, Tyler Hopkins, William Belle, Harry Nansi, Ryan Fellinger and Matthew Hlacar, despite their rank from 64th to 217th overall not exactly translating to blue chip.

“Some of these kids will have to find their niche in the game,” Leach said after closing shop at the Ford Centre draft room on Saturday. “But when you find those kids with that work ethic, they know who they have to be. We saw in (champion Florida’s playoff run) that size matters, toughness matters, competitiveness matters. There’s a role for everybody.”

While the 6-foot-4 Koblar and 6-foot-3 Belle will be hard to miss at Leafs development camp next week, Leach said they were all judged as good skaters with skill and not solely because their size fits GM Brad Treliving’s ‘change the DNA’ narrative.

Treliving tagged Leach to replace Wes Clark when he re-joined Kyle Dubas in Pittsburgh. It was a tough start with no first-rounder or one in the next two drafts.

“There’s a lot that these guys had that we liked — and a lot that has to be worked on,” Treliving conceded on the day’s work. “They’ll get turned over to the development staff now. You judge these draft days with a calendar, not a stopwatch, but I’m really happy with the work the staff did.”

The Leafs first fell for the uber-enthusiastic 225-pound Belle when they invited him among others to the Ford Centre earlier this month after the NHL scouting combine in Buffalo.

“A passionate guy with an interesting background,” Treliving said.

Belle lived in Dongguan in southern China until 2015. His American engineer father Travis, once a defensive end at North Carolina State, met his Chinese mother on a business trip. William learned to skate on the rooftop rink of a shopping mall with ill-fitting skates, but eventually played in more advanced Asian hockey countries such as Hong Kong.

He got better in a real hurry when the family returned to the states in 2015 and William made the U.S. Development Program.

“My game is simple; north-south, fast, 200-foot hockey, back-checking, playing physical,” Belle said on a media Zoom call. “I play like (Colorado’s rugged) Miles Wood right now, but someone I could turn into would be Tom Wilson.”

That comparison to the Capitals rogue probably had Leafs coach Craig Berube ready to jump in his car, pick him up in South Bend, Ind., where he’s readying to play at Notre Dame, and drive him straight back to devo camp.

“When I heard it was the Leafs, I was pumped,” Belle said.

After temptation to trade down at 64, Treliving said Leach and his scouts made a strong case for Koblar. Born in Slovenia where his mother was a biathlete and father an Alpine skier, they came to Norway when the latter pursued a coaching job.

“My dad just started screaming to the camera and became super happy for me,” Koblar said of the reaction at home when he was chosen.

Koblar claimed to have been a Leafs fan as a kid and to have photographic evidence of himself in a sweater, though he has no favourite Bud. Hoping to play more in the coming season with Swedish club Leksands, he doesn’t have Belle’s bulk, but hopes to get better physically after 21 points in 43 games.

MAPLE LEAFS’ 2025 DRAFT CLASS

♦ Tinus-Luc Koblar, 64th overallCentre, 6-foot-4, 179 pounds
BORN: Kranj, Slovenia, July 21, 2007
2024-25 STATS: 43 GP, 8-13-21 pts. with Leksands, Sweden
SKINNY: Also played for the Norwegian national junior team … Effective two-way centre who has to grow into his body … Will be a Leksands teammate of Leafs 2024 pick, defenceman Victor Johansson … Leafs second Norwegian pick after Sondre Olden in 2010.
LEACH SAYS: “He went off to Sweden to evolve his game. Very good knack for the net and a knack for going down low and playing on the wall.”

♦ Tyler Hopkins, 86th overall
Centre, 6-foot-1, 183 pounds
BORN: Campbellville, Ont., Jan. 23, 2007
2024-25 STATS: 67 GP, 20-31-51 pts. with Kingston Frontenacs (OHL)
SKINNY: Models his game on Tampa Bay’s Anthony Cirelli … Comes from a strong Leaf fan base family and calls their playoff win over Tampa Bay in 2023 his favourite moment… Viewed by some as a decent replacement in the system for the traded Fraser Minten.
LEACH SAYS: “He’s a 200-foot player, goes to the hard areas, anticipates the game well. He has to get stronger and a little quicker.”

♦ William Belle, 137th overall
Right Wing, 6-foot-3, 219 pounds
BORN: Excelsior, Minn., Jan. 14, 2007
2024-25 stats: 28 GP 2-8-10 with U.S. National Development Program
SKINNY: Brimming with confidence and personality … From being an ankle skater in China where he grew up, he credited the U.S. program with teaching him to be a team player … Attending Notre Dame in the autumn.
LEACH SAYS: “Big body, skates extremely well, has a passion for the game. He just wants to get in there. You watch him all year and that’s the way he played, he has those (compete) elements to his game.”

♦ Harry Nansi, 153rd overall
Centre, 6-foot-3, 179 pounds
BORN: Nepean, Ont., Sept. 10, 2007
2024-25 stats: 67 GP, 7-16-23 pts. With Owen Sound Attack (OHL)
SKINNY: Scouts appreciate his drive and he’s a difficult player to cover … When he gets the puck, has the ability to hold on to it or chip it out of reach … Leafs were initially unable to find him Saturday to alert him that he’d been drafted.
LEACH SAYS: “Raw and rangy. His skating has to get quicker. But he really works and gets into the harder areas.”

♦ Ryan Fellinger, 185th overall
Defence, 6-foot-4, 200 pounds
BORN: May 16, 2007, Wawa, Ont.
2024-25 stats: 64 GP, 3-4-7 pts with Flint Firebirds (OHL)
SKINNY: His reach and puck movement have been praised … As the only defenceman the Leafs chose this year, he’ll get lots of attention in development camp .. .Has to grow into his body … Got the news he was drafted while at his high school prom.
LEACH SAYS: “He plays simple, he closes fast. He likes to box people out, but has to work on his game.”

♦ Matthew Hlacar, 217th overall
Left wing, 6-foot-3, 205 pounds
BORN: May 31, 2007, Binbrook, Ont.
2024-25 stats: 43 GP, 7-1-8 pts. with Kitchener Rangers (OHL)
SKINNY: Uses his size well and doesn’t shy away from contact … With such a late pick, the Leafs liked his heart as much as anything else.
LEACH SAYS: “His unique element is he likes to get in your face. If you have those things in your game, you have a chance to get better at other things.”

Lhornby@postmedia.com 

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