Introduction
Luke Kunin (born December 4, 1997) is an American professional ice hockey center, currently playing with the Iowa Wild in the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect to the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League (NHL). Kunin was selected 15th overall by the Wild in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.
Playing career
In the 2015–16 season, his freshman year with the Wisconsin Badgers, Kunin scored 32 points in 34 games and was named to the Big Ten Conference All-Rookie Team. On January 5, 2017, Kunin won gold in the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship as captain of Team USA in a 5-4 shootout win against Team Canada.
At the conclusion of his sophomore season with the Badgers in 2016–17, Kunin ended his collegiate career by signing a three-year, entry-level contract with the Minnesota Wild on March 23, 2017. He was assigned to conclude the season with AHL affiliate, the Iowa Wild, on an amateur try-out deal.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2013–14 | U.S. National Development Team | USHL | 32 | 11 | 12 | 23 | 27 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | U.S. National Development Team | USHL | 20 | 10 | 4 | 14 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | University of Wisconsin | B1G | 34 | 19 | 13 | 32 | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | University of Wisconsin | B1G | 35 | 22 | 16 | 38 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Iowa Wild | AHL | 12 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| AHL totals | 12 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | United States | U17 | 01 ! |
6 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2015 | United States | WJC18 | 01 ! |
7 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 2 | |
| 2017 | United States | WJC | 01 ! |
7 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 25 | |
| Junior totals | 20 | 10 | 6 | 16 | 27 | ||||
Awards and honors
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| College | ||
| B1G All-Rookie Team | 2016 | |
| B1G All-Tournament Team | 2017 | |
| B1G Second All-Star Team | 2017 | |