Latest news with #MapleLeafs
Time of India
5 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Justin Bieber shares photo of baby Jack Blues in his Maple Leafs jersey; posts adorable pictures from family vacay
Justin Bieber and baby Jack Blues Justin Bieber's tiny bundle of joy is already sporting dad's beloved team and the internet can't get enough of it. The 31-year-old singer who just switched his Instagram name to 'Lilbieber' jammed out his feed with adorable pics from his family vacation. Among the photos he posted online were ones that featured his 10-month-old son, Jack Blues wearing a teeny Toronto Maple Leafs jersey in a lakeside scene. Dressed in a small Auston Matthews jersey along with baggy jeans and coordinating blue socks, Jack's photo was an instant hit among fans. Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews left a blue heart emoji in the comments and the team's official Instagram account replied with several blue heart emoticons. Following Justin and Hailey Bieber's choice to keep the face of their son out of the public eye, all the photographs carefully cropped or covered Jack's face. According to People, Justin added standing emojis and a fairy to the photos, a subtle reference to his viral "standing on business" moment. Justin didn't simply highlight baby Jack but he also posted a stunning solo shot of his wife, Hailey. The photos created a serene and intimate picture of the Bieber family's relaxing time at the lake. The pair who wed back in September 2018, renewed their vows in a romantic Hawaiian ceremony in May 2024. They doubled the celebrations by announcing their pregnancy. Three months later in August 2024 their son Jack Blues was born. A source explained at the time to People that the baby had been a miracle for the pair. "The pregnancy was something they really wanted and prayed for," the insider revealed.
Hamilton Spectator
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
The Maple Leafs' first draft pick arrives with competitive DNA preloaded
Norwegian forward Tinus Luc Koblar is probably a long-shot to make the NHL, but he does seem like a good enough bet given his family's athletic success. His parents competed in the Winter Olympics for their native Slovenia: dad Jernej an alpine skier, mom Andreja a biathlete. And Tinus is six-foot-four at just 18 years of age. That all adds up to a decent reason for the Maple Leafs to make Koblar their first choice in the NHL draft on Saturday. 'It was an unreal experience ... I'm just excited to start,' Koblar, selected 64th, said in a conference call. He said Anze Kopitar, the Slovenian captain of the Los Angeles Kings, is his favourite player, but added that he has followed Toronto and wore a Leafs jersey as a kid. 'I always liked the team,' said Koblar. 'Since I was a young kid, I've been watching and cheering for them.' His parents instilled a competitive nature. 'There is nothing I like to lose at,' he said. 'They played a huge role in my competitiveness ... because both my mom and dad (competed) at a high level. I like competing at everything.' Koblar will play in Sweden next season for Leksands IF, as will Victor Johansson, drafted 120th by the Leafs last year. While Koblar was their top pick, the Leafs were the last team to actually make their first selection over the two days, having traded away picks in recent years. There are far more misses than hits from the second round on, although veteran defenceman Tyson Barrie (2009) and centre Vincent Trocheck have done all right after being drafted 64th. The Leafs stayed closer to home with their next pick, Kingston centre Tyler Hopkins at No. 86. He said he models his game after Tampa Bay's Anthony Cirelli, but his favourite player is Auston Matthews. A lifelong Leafs fan from Campbellville, he was perhaps showing his age when he said his favourite memory of the team is when they got out of the first round of the playoffs by beating the Lightning in 2023. He said he was thrilled to hear his name. 'When that moment happened, it was just pure excitement,' said Hopkins. 'Obviously to get drafted is every kid's dream, and to be drafted by your hometown team one level even better than that.' He sees himself becoming a third-line centre in the NHL. 'Something that I've tried to work on is my defensive game over the past two years, and adding a bit of offence,' he said. 'I think at the next level, a third-line centre that plays a 200-foot game, is able to move up and down a lineup and is relied on by the coaching staff.' One prospect Leafs fans will likely root for is William Belle, already six-foot-four and 225 pounds. The big-bodied forward was born in China and lived there for seven years. He sees himself in the mould of Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson. 'The power forward hockey that he plays — the simplicity of it, the physicality and that edge to him, the meanness — I feel like I can bring that,' said Belle, who is heading into his first year at Notre Dame. 'It's not necessarily that I love doing that. It's just, that's what makes me effective and it's what helps my team win. The meanness aspect of it, I'm here to win and I'm here to help my team. And I don't care who you are, I'm going to be in your face. That's just how I'm wired. That's just how I play.' The Leafs took centre Harry Nansi from Owen Sound at No. 153, right-handed defenceman Rylan Fellinger from Flint at 185 (he turns 18 on Sept. 20) and 19-year-old forward Matthew Hlacar, an enforcer-type, with the 217th pick. None of them will be in the NHL any time soon. All will be at development camp from July 2 to 5. 'We'll reconvene in five years to see how successful (this draft) was,' said general manager Brad Treliving. 'You judge these draft days with a calendar and not a stopwatch. But I'm really happy with the work the guys did.'
New York Times
12 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
What are the Maple Leafs getting in their 2025 NHL Draft picks?
The Maple Leafs entered Day 2 of the NHL Draft with six picks and did not end up trading away a single one of their picks. Instead, new director of amateur scouting Mark Leach and general manager Brad Treliving had a plan for their draft class: add size and competitiveness to an organization they believe needs just that. Advertisement 'There's a role for everybody. And as you saw in the playoffs, size matters, toughness matters, competitiveness matters,' Leach said. 'We hoped we filled some of those roles with some of these kids.' The Leafs also addressed positional needs in their prospect pool as well, going heavy on centres and forwards while not selecting a goalie. They came away with a draft class that looks drastically different from past draft hauls. None of the six players they selected were under six feet tall. And as all of their coaches told The Athletic, physicality and nastiness are often front and centre in most of their games. 'We want guys who competed, we want players who battled and have great work ethic. And with those elements, if you have those things in your game, you have a chance to get better at certain things,' Leach said. Here's our breakdown of who the Leafs drafted in 2025, with insight from the people who know them best. Drafted: Second round, No. 64 | Position: C Age: 17 | Height: 6-foot-3 | Weight: 190 pounds 2024-25 stats: 43 GP, 8 G, 13 A, 21 pts (Leksands Under-20, Sweden) With their first pick, the Leafs went after a player with a blend of size, strength and playmaking skill they hope can be a playoff performer down the line. The Leafs like Koblar's nose for the net and how accomplished he already is at finding offence in ugly areas of the ice. 'He competes all the time,' said Jesper Ollas, general manager of Leksands' Under-20 team. 'He's the one who gets so mad and so pissed off when we lose games. He's hard to handle sometimes with that, but it also means he hates to lose games and battles. He never gives up, actually.' Koblar was born in Slovenia, raised in Norway and now plays in Sweden. He showed the ability to drive play with Leksands' Under-20 team through his puck-handling ability, his vision and how strong he became on the puck. He's growing into a more prominent power-play role and will likely make his SHL debut at some point for Leksands next season. Advertisement Drafted: Third round, No. 86 | Position: C Age: 18 | Height: 6-foot-1 | Weight: 183 pounds 2024-25 stats: 67 GP, 20 G, 31 A, 51 pts (Kingston Frontenacs, OHL) Hopkins' hockey IQ might be the highest of any player in the Leafs' draft class. He is a detail-oriented centre with plenty of pro attributes in his game already. 'When I got to coach him last year for the first time, the first thing that stood out was his ability to really just see the ice,' Troy Mann, Frontenacs head coach, said. 'He is real coachable in terms of where you want him on the ice.' That IQ doesn't just manifest in playmaking or typical offensive skill. Hopkins uses his smarts to stifle the opposition in different ways. 'I had multiple scouts tell me he was one of the best defensive centres in the whole draft,' Mann said. Leach called Hopkins 'a 200-foot player.' '(Hopkins) plays in the hard areas, he's smart, reads, anticipates the game. (He) has to get stronger, has to get a little quicker. That's just part of when you pick guys in those certain areas — they have some issues that they've got to work on and improve upon,' Leach said. Still, finding another level of offence will be a requirement in Hopkins' game next season. Expect Hopkins to move from Kingston's second power-play unit up to the first unit. He can bring the puck with speed and smarts through the neutral zone, but Mann wants to see Hopkins employ more creativity in his game in the offensive zone. In doing so, there could be another level for Hopkins to hit. Whether that means trying to do different things behind the net or attack the blue paint more, Mann believes his intelligence can be used to add to his offensive production. Hopkins professed to being a Leafs fan. He has fond memories of watching the Leafs' first-round series win against the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2023. Tyler Hopkins certainly has the passion. 🍁 📺: 2025 Upper Deck #NHLDraft on @ESPNPlus, @NHLNetwork and @Sportsnet (🎥: IG/ — NHL (@NHL) June 28, 2025 Drafted: Fifth round, No. 137 | Position: F Age: 18 | Height: 6-foot-4 | Weight: 225 pounds 2024-25 stats: 28 GP, 2 G, 8 A, 10 pts (USNTDP Juniors, USHL) If we're looking for an early fan favourite of the Leafs' 2025 draft class, Belle is the easy pick. The heavy forward oozes confidence in a way you don't often hear from late-round NHL picks. Advertisement 'My game is simple. It's north-south, fast, 200-foot hockey, forechecking, back-checking, playing physical. A player right now that I play a lot like would be Miles Wood. But somebody I think I could turn into would be a Tom Wilson type of player,' Belle said. Tom Wilson, you say? 'The power-forward hockey that he plays, the simplicity of it and just the physicality and that edge he has to have, the meanness, I feel like I can bring that,' Belle said, again with genuine confidence. Belle feels like a role player just waiting to happen. 'He was a penalty-killer, a guy who we put out to get out of the defensive zone and offensive zone time to wait for the line change,' said Ryan Hayes, assistant coach at the USNTDP. 'And he did a really good job towards the end of his two years doing that and accepting that role of shutting down teams and pinning down teams in our offensive zone to help wear them down. He loved to block shots. And his physicality? In the USHL, in our age, guys don't want to get hit, right? But he brought that element to it.' Still, for all the physicality Belle brings, don't sleep on his smarts, either. 'When you get to know him, his answers are very well-thought-out. He's very smart the way he talks to people and the respect that he has just shows his growth as a kid,' Hayes said. 'His parents did a really good job raising him. He excelled in school — he was taking college classes while he was here.' Born in China, Belle learned to skate in shopping malls with skates that he confessed were too small for him. He would eventually have to take trains and fly to Beijing and Hong Kong to continue playing hockey. He moved to Boston when he was seven years old. Belle is headed to the University of Notre Dame next season. 'He's a big body with a unique background, unique situation where he came from. He can skate extremely well and he's got a passion for the game. He knows what he is, and I think he's willing to do what it takes. He just wants to get at it,' Leach said. Advertisement Drafted: Fifth round, No. 153 | Position: C Age: 17 | Height: 6-foot-3 | Weight: 185 pounds 2024-25 stats: 67 GP, 7 G, 16 A, 23 pts (Owen Sound Attack, OHL) The Leafs clearly have a type in their 2025 class, and Nansi is further evidence of that. Leach and Treliving have combined to try and find size, edge and hopefully some skill. In Nansi, they might have all of the above if everything breaks just right. 'He goes into the fight and comes out with the puck all the time. He's one of those kids who you think has no chance of coming out with the puck but he surprises everybody,' said Scott Wray, Owen Sound Attack coach. Still, Nansi is one of the youngest players in the draft. Born in September 2007, the forward has a long road ahead of him. 'He's young and he's raw. But God-given talent is bar none,' Wray said. 'When he fills out, he's going to be a phenomenal player.' The Leafs like his range and competitiveness but understand to get down that road, there's major work to be done on Nansi's foot speed and edgework. 'He works and competes and gets to the hard areas,' Leach said. Known for an infectious smile and being a great teammate, Nansi could end up becoming a popular Leafs prospect if he continues to improve. Wray said he plans to rely on Nansi more on the power play next season. Getting more touches around the net could bring more offence out of Nansi's game. Drafted: Sixth round, No. 185 | Position: RHD Age: 18 | Height: 6-foot-4 | Weight: 196 pounds 2024-25 stats: 64 GP, 3 G, 4 A, 7 pts (Flint Firebirds, OHL) Competitiveness and energy, as they were for every Leafs pick, were part of what attracted the Leafs to Fellinger. 'I just love his work ethic and his character,' said Paul Flache, Flint Firebirds head coach. 'He works his butt off on the ice and off the ice, so that's another huge attribute. He's just a very competitive kid, probably one of our best skaters. He's got straight-line speed.' Advertisement While Fellinger is working on his lateral and backwards skating, he does well to use his stride to close on opposition players. Combined with strong stick work and an evolving physical game, there's an intelligence in Fellinger's north-south game that could help him develop within the Leafs organization. 'He's strong, he can win battles and get the puck moving quickly down the ice. And we've seen, in today's game, you have to make plays,' Flache said. Flache said he sees flashes of longtime NHL blueliner Niklas Hjalmarsson in Fellinger's game. 'He takes so much pride in winning small battles and blocking shots,' Flache said. 'He's not easy to play against. When the Blackhawks won those Stanley Cups, guys like Hjalmarsson flew under the radar. But they were always tough to play against.' Flache said he's proud of how much work Fellinger has put in the past two summers into adding more size and muscle to his 6-foot-4 frame. Should he continue to bulk up and add more physicality and puck-moving attributes to his game, a pro future could beckon. 'He's a guy who can move, has a big body, moves really well,' Leach said of Fellinger. 'His game is simple, he moves it well, he closes fast, he likes to defend, box people out, but he's just a pretty big strong kid for his age. I think as time goes on with him, he's going to have to work on his game a little bit. And again, these young men, most of them know what their element is to get to the next step. And they just have to improve on those elements.' Drafted: Seventh round, No. 217 | Position: LW Age: 19 | Height: 6-foot-3 | Weight: 201 pounds 2024-25 stats: 43 GP, 7 G, 1 A, 8 pts (Kitchener Rangers, OHL) Hlacar went undrafted in the OHL priority selection, was invited to multiple Rangers rookie camps and main camps and spent his NHL draft year playing in the OJHL before he finally joined the Rangers as an 18-year-old for his first OHL season. It's that sort of grit and determination that the Leafs undoubtedly appreciate in the brawling winger. Advertisement 'It's been a long road for him. But he's a self-made man. Those guys have a bit more of an appreciation for the journey,' said Mike McKenzie, Rangers general manager. 'He'll do whatever it takes off the ice.' Hlacar is often first, and heaviest, on the forecheck and doesn't shy away from dropping the gloves either. Through 14 OHL playoff games this season, Hlacar tallied 38 penalty minutes. While McKenzie sees undercover good hands in Hlacar's game, it's going to be the physicality that could eventually make Hlacar a pro player. 'Hard-nosed, competitive, big man,' Leach said of Hlacar. 'He likes to play in your face.' In years past, the Leafs might have taken a flyer on a smallish, uber-skilled player with their last pick in the draft (Ryan Tverberg being an example) but going forward, it feels more and more likely the Leafs try for future pugilists instead. (Top photo of Tyler Hopkins: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Report: Panthers Star Not Interested In Signing With Maple Leafs
Sam Bennett was spectacular for the Florida Panthers during their Stanley Cup championship run this spring. In 23 games, the 2014 fourth-overall pick scored an NHL-leading 15 goals and recorded 22 points. Due to his excellent play, he was named this year's Conn Smythe Trophy winner as playoff MVP. Now, after his dominant post-season, Bennett is preparing for a massive summer. The 28-year-old center is due for his next contract and can become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. However, there is no question that the Panthers are going to work as hard as they can to try to keep him in Florida. Advertisement However, if Bennett decides to test the free-agent market this summer, there will undoubtedly be a ton of interest in his services. This is because he is a top-six center who not only contributes offensively but also plays a very gritty game. Furthermore, his immense playoff success obviously adds to his appeal. The Toronto Maple Leafs are one team that have discussed as a potential suitor for Bennett if he hits the market on July 1. However, a recent update makes the possibility of that occurring appear unlikely. According to FanDuel Sports Network's Andy Strickland, the Maple Leafs would not be on Bennett's list of potential free-agent landing spots if he elects to test the market. It is certainly encouraging to hear that the Maple Leafs, one of the Panthers' biggest rivals, are not expected to steal Bennett away if he becomes a free agent. If Bennett were to join the Maple Leafs, it would undoubtedly be a massive blow, especially when noting that he would stay in their division. Advertisement However, if Bennett signs with any other team besides the Panthers this summer, it would still be terrible news for Florida. Due to this, re-signing him should be their biggest priority between now and the start of next month. Let's see if they can do just that from here. LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA The Hockey Show: Wrapping up another Stanley Cup Final on the ice in Sunrise How the Panthers spent their first day with the Stanley Cup Florida Panthers announce plans for Stanley Cup Championship parade along Fort Lauderdale Beach Sam Bennett Shows Brad Marchand Love After Panthers Cup Win Advertisement Brad Marchand Opens Up About Panthers Future After Stanley Cup Win Photo Credit: © Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
New York Times
16 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Maple Leafs, Golden Knights discussing trade for Mitch Marner's rights: Sources
The Vegas Golden Knights are discussing a trade to acquire the rights of pending unrestricted free agent Mitch Marner from the Toronto Maple Leafs, according to league sources, which would allow them to sign the All-Star winger before he hits the open market on Tuesday. If they acquire Marner, the Golden Knights would gain the ability to sign Marner to a maximum-length eight-year contract. If they wait until Tuesday, when free agency opens, the longest term they could give him will be seven years. Advertisement TSN's Darren Dreger was the first to report the potential move. Marner is one of Toronto's most accomplished players, sitting fifth on the all-time scoring list with 741 points at age 28. He was drafted No. 4 by his hometown team in 2015 and became an immediate fan favorite because of his creativity and elite playmaking ability. However, Marner also drew sharp criticism for the team's inability to get over the hump in the playoffs and started to chafe under that scrutiny. It became clear he could be eyeing a departure in free agency when he refused to engage in discussions on a contract extension with the Leafs throughout last season. He also refused to waive his no-movement clause at the March 7 trade deadline for a deal that would have sent him to the Carolina Hurricanes. Earlier this week, Leafs general manager Brad Treliving acknowledged to reporters that Marner was going to test the free-agent market. A trade to Vegas would be similar to the one the Hurricanes made at last year's draft, when they sent Jake Guentzel's rights to the Tampa Bay Lightning for a third-round pick after failing to get him to sign a contract. That allowed Guentzel to ink an eight-year deal with the Lightning, carrying a $9 million AAV.
