Certainly, it hasn’t stopped him from becoming a force for the University of Wisconsin men’s hockey team. After 18 games, the freshman forward from Chesterfield, Missouri, has a team-high seven goals and is second in total points to linemate Grant Besse with 15.
Kunin leads the Badgers with seven goals and ranks second on the team with 15 points. His 15 points also rank fourth in the Big Ten in rookie scoring.
Mike Eaves looks at Luke Kunin and sees the impact player his University of Wisconsin men’s hockey team desperately needs.
And Kunin, who has dreamed of playing for the program since he was 11 years old, eagerly embraces that role and the responsibility that comes with it.
Kunin has developed his hard, accurate shot while with the United States Development Team. He can produce a powerful shot from down low or a long, accurate show from the point or higher in the slot.
Tkachuk, the son of former NHL player Keith Tkachuk, will play for Team Roenick. The 6-1, 195-pound left wing had 38 goals and 96 points in 65 games with the NTDP U-18 team last season. He also had a tournament-high 10 assists in seven games for the U.S. at the 2015 IIHF World U-18 Championship.
School starts next week for the Badgers, but it was announced on Wednesday that freshman forward Luke Kunin (Chesterfield, Mo.) is among the 42 players selected for the 2015 CCM/USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game. The game takes place on Sept. 24 at First Niagara Center in Buffalo, New York.
Many scouts believe an even better collection of blue-chip standouts await NHL teams in the 2016 draft at First Niagara Center on June 24-25, 2016, in Buffalo, N.Y.
Kunin, the captain of the NTDP under-18 squad that’s currently playing in the World Championships in Switzerland, is a relatively unique case in that he’s accelerated his studies in order to complete four years of high school in three years.
When the NCAA Frozen Four begins in Boston next week, four St. Louis products will be spread among the programs playing for college hockey supremacy. They include Brian O’Rourke (Nebraska-Omaha), Dominic Zombo (Nebraska-Omaha), Nick Saracino (Providence) and Michael Parks (North Dakota).
