Jump to content

Luke Kunin

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by AnomieBOT (talk | contribs) at 20:06, 18 November 2021 (Rescuing orphaned refs ("All-Star" from rev 1055940477; "Rookie" from rev 1055944362)). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Luke Kunin
Kunin with the Minnesota Wild in 2019
Born (1997-12-04) December 4, 1997 (age 27)
Chesterfield, Missouri, U.S.
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 193 lb (88 kg; 13 st 11 lb)
Position Centre
Shoots Right
NHL team
Former teams		 Nashville Predators
Minnesota Wild
National team  United States
NHL draft 15th overall, 2016
Minnesota Wild
Playing career 2017–present

Luke Kunin (born December 4, 1997) is an American professional ice hockey center currently playing with the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL). Kunin was selected 15th overall by the Minnesota Wild in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.[1]

Early life

Kunin is the son of Sheri and Mark Kunin, and has an older brother Nick.[2][3] He was born in Chesterfield, Missouri, and is Jewish.[4][5][6]

In grade 6, Kunin was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. His friend and, then, teammate Matthew Tkachuk arranged for Kunin to meet with St. Louis Blues player B. J. Crombeen who also had type 1 diabetes.[7] Kunin and Tkachuk played in the 2010 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the St. Louis Blues minor ice hockey team.[8] Kunin later went to Whitfield School in Missouri for one year and then spent time with the U.S National Team Development Program in Ann Arbor, Michigan.[9] He graduated from high school in three years.[2]

Playing career

NCAA

On May 24, 2013, Kunin committed to play college ice hockey for the Wisconsin Badgers, starting in the 2015–16 season.[10] Because he finished high school early, Kunin entered the program as the youngest skater on the team, but he impressed coach Mike Eaves with his maturity, skating skill, and shooting abilities.[11] Even though Wisconsin finished last in the Big Ten Conference that year with an 8-19-8 record, Kunin led the team with 18 goals and 33 points,[12] and he was named to the 2016 All-Big Ten Freshmen Team.[13]

In the 2016–17 season, Kunin was elected as the Wisconsin team captain, becoming only the second sophomore captain in the team's history.[2] The last sophomore to have had achieved this honor was Mike Eaves 40 years ago.[2][14] He led the Badgers with 22 goals and 38 points in 35 games, good enough for Second Team All Big Ten.

On January 5, 2017, Kunin won a gold medal at the 2017 IIHF World Junior U20 Championship as Captain of Team USA in a 5–4 shootout win against Team Canada.[15]

Professional

Minnesota Wild

Kunin with the Iowa Wild at the 2018 AHL All-Star Classic

On March 23, 2017, Kunin agreed to a three-year, entry-level contract with the Wild. The contract would be enacted in full for the 2017–18 season, and he would play with the Iowa Wild, Minnesota's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, for the remainder of their 2016–17 season on an amateur tryout contract.[16] He played in 12 games for Iowa to close out their season, putting up five goals and three assists in the process.[17]

Kunin was one of the last players cut from the Wild roster before the 2017–18 season, his place in the lineup effectively taken by free agent signing Matt Cullen.[18] When a number of injuries befell the Wild roster, however, Kunin made his NHL debut on short notice,[19] skating in less than 14 minutes of the home opener against the Columbus Blue Jackets before he was sent back down to save space on the team's salary cap.[20] During another brief recall on October 27, Kunin became the first player in franchise history to make his debut NHL goal short-handed. Zack Mitchell also scored his first NHL goal, the game-winner, during the same match, after telling Kunin before the game, "Let's both get our first, but I'll let you go first."[21] Still primarily an AHL player, Kunin was selected for the 2018 AHL All-Star Classic as the only representative from Iowa.[22] Kunin was once again called up to Minnesota on February 27 in order to give the team more energy as they finished out the season, but on March 4, during a game against the Detroit Red Wings, he suffered a season-ending anterior cruciate ligament injury in his right knee. At the time, Kunin had played in 19 NHL games for the season, scoring two goals and two assists in the process.[23] He also played in 36 AHL games, with 10 goals and 19 points there.[24] He underwent surgery for the injury at the beginning of April, with an estimated recovery time of six to seven months.[25]

Kunin was medically cleared to begin playing hockey again on October 8, 2018, and was assigned to Iowa to continue his recovery and spend more time on the ice before rejoining the NHL for the 2018–19 season.[26] He spent the next few months moving up and down between the NHL and AHL. His first recall was on December 9, filling in for an injured Mikko Koivu,[27] He was meant to return to Iowa a week later, but an injury to Matt Dumba forced coach Bruce Boudreau to rearrange his offensive lines, and Kunin remained in Minnesota skating alongside Koivu and Jason Zucker.[28] He was briefly sent back down to Iowa at the end of January to play in two AHL games while the Wild had an eight-day break,[29] and he was recalled to Minnesota on February 4.[30] His quantitative production was minimal during this final stretch, with only one goal and two assists in his last 18 NHL games of the season, but Kunin was given a gradually larger role for Minnesota in the hopes that he would become a staple of their lineup the following season.[31] When Minnesota's season came to an end on April 9, Kunin was one of a handful of skaters sent back to Iowa to help them during their run for the Calder Cup. In his 49 games with the Wild, Kunin scored six goals and 17 points while recording 27 penalty minutes. He also had nine goals and 16 points in 25 regular-season AHL games.[32] Kunin appeared in 11 playoff games, scoring six goals and eight points, before the Iowa Wild were eliminated by the Chicago Wolves.[33]

After a difficult start to the 2019–20 season, the Wild found a stable, productive line by mid-November in Kunin, Jordan Greenway, and Joel Eriksson Ek, affectionately referred to as the "GEEK Squad".[34] Primarily a checking line, Greenway and Eriksson Ek served as physical players tasked with preventing the opposing team from scoring, while also leaving Kunin open to score for Minnesota.[35] By the time that the COVID-19 pandemic forced the NHL to suspend the 2019–20 season in March, Kunin had scored 15 goals and 16 assists in 63 games. The Wild had clinched a spot in the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs, with Kunin invited to participate, but he was initially hesitant to break quarantine, as his diabetes diagnosis placed him at higher risk of suffering complications from the virus.[36] Kunin ultimately joined the team in Edmonton for a best-of-five qualifying series against the Vancouver Canucks.[37] Despite two postseason goals from Kunin,[38] the Canucks won the series in four games.[39]

Nashville Predators

On October 7, 2020, the Wild traded Kunin and the 101st overall pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft to the Nashville Predators in exchange for skater Nick Bonino and two 2020 draft picks: No. 37 and No. 70 overall.[40] As a restricted free agent at the time of his signing, however, Kunin could not practice with his new team until he and the Predators had negotiated new contract terms.[41] He signed a two-year, $4.6 million contract with the team on January 6, 2021.[42] Kunin's 2020–21 season started with two lower body injuries: the first sidelined him for four games at the start of February, while a more serious injury had him placed on the injured reserve on March 2.[43] He returned to the lineup on March 27, picking up two assists in a 3–1 defeat of the Chicago Blackhawks.[44] His return was accompanied by a hot streak, with Kunin scoring at least one point in five of his first six games back from injury, and the Predators went 14–6–1 during games he played.[45] He also scored six goals in the last nine games of the regular season, including two in the Predators' 3–1 defeat of the Carolina Hurricanes on May 8, which allowed Nashville to clinch a berth in the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs.[46] The Predators faced the Hurricanes once again in the first round of playoffs, with Kunin scoring both the first and final goals in Game 4 to keep Nashville in the playoffs. Kunin's first goal came only 57 seconds into the game, while the game-winner came in double overtime.[47] The Predators would lose the series, however, in overtime of Game 6.[48] Kunin played in 38 games of the pandemic-shortened 2020–21 season for Nashville, scoring 10 goals and 19 points in the process.[49]

Kunin started the 2021–22 season on a line with Mikael Granlund and Eeli Tolvanen; he had spent the previous season with Granlund, while Tolvanen replaced the departed Calle Järnkrok.[50]

International play

In 2013-14 he won the U.S. National Team World Under-17 Hockey Challenge Gold Medal, and in 2014-15 he won the U.S. National Team WJC IIHF World Under-18 Championship Gold Medal.[51]

Personal life

During the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, Kunin and his girlfriend adopted a French Bulldog named Rocco.[52]

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 — — — — —
2017–18 Iowa Wild AHL 36 10 9 19 34 — — — — —
2017–18 Minnesota Wild NHL 19 2 2 4 13 — — — — —
2018–19 Iowa Wild AHL 25 9 7 16 30 11 6 2 8 18
2018–19 Minnesota Wild NHL 49 6 11 17 27 — — — — —
2019–20 Minnesota Wild NHL 63 15 16 31 55 4 2 0 2 2
2020–21 Nashville Predators NHL 38 10 9 19 13 6 2 0 2 2
NHL totals 169 33 38 71 108 10 4 0 4 4

International

Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2014 United States U17 1st place, gold medalist(s) 6 2 4 6 0
2015 United States WJC18 1st place, gold medalist(s) 7 6 0 6 2
2017 United States WJC 1st place, gold medalist(s) 7 2 2 4 25
2019 United States WC 7th 3 0 0 0 0
Junior totals 20 10 6 16 27
Senior totals 3 0 0 0 0

Awards and honors

Award Year
College
All-Big Ten Freshman Team 2016 [53]
All-Big Ten Second Team 2017
Big Ten All-Tournament Team 2017
AHCA West Second-Team All-American 2017 [54]
AHL
AHL All-Star Game 2018 [55]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Wild takes Wisconsin center Luke Kunin". Minneapolis Star Tribune. June 24, 2016. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d "Luke Kunin". uwbadgers.com. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
  3. ^ Russo, Michael (June 24, 2016). "About Luke Kunin". Star Tribune. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
  4. ^ "Jewish Sports Review". Retrieved December 23, 2017.
  5. ^ Ron Kaplan (June 29, 2016). "JML, the next generation?". New Jersey Jewish News. Retrieved December 23, 2017.[permanent dead link‍]
  6. ^ Kaplan, Ron (October 20, 2017). "Shalom, Luke Kunin". kaplanskorner.com. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
  7. ^ Dennis Punzel (January 15, 2016). "Diabetes doesn't keep freshman forward Luke Kunin from making a quick impact". Wisconsin State Journal. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
  8. ^ "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
  9. ^ Mayes, Warren (July 8, 2016). "Chesterfield's Kunin ready to take part in Minnesota Wild's prospect camp". westnewsmagazine.com. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
  10. ^ Baggot, Andy (May 24, 2013). "Badgers men's hockey: Luke Kunin, another top '97 prospect, commits". Wisconsin State Journal. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  11. ^ Punzel, Dennis (October 16, 2015). "Badgers men's hockey: Freshman Luke Kunin makes quick impact, but he may not be around long". Wisconsin State Journal. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  12. ^ Moritz, Amy (June 4, 2016). "Luke Kunin prepared for the combine at Wisconsin". The Buffalo News. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  13. ^ "Badgers men's hockey: Luke Kunin named to All-Big Ten freshman team". Wisconsin State Journal. March 14, 2016. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  14. ^ Lund, Ryan (July 20, 2017). "Wild could have future captain in Kunin". foxsports.com. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
  15. ^ Mizutani, Dane (September 28, 2017). "Wild think Luke Kunin will be an NHL player, maybe very soon". duluthnewstribune.com. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
  16. ^ "Wild agree to terms on entry-level contract with Luke Kunin". ESPN. Associated Press. March 23, 2017. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  17. ^ Mizutani, Dane (July 8, 2017). "Wild prospect Luke Kunin set on making NHL roster". St. Paul Pioneer Press. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  18. ^ Myers, Dan (November 5, 2017). "Kunin proving he's real deal as NHL rookie". National Hockey League. Minnesota Wild. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  19. ^ Sleik, Brandon (October 13, 2017). "NHL debut fast forwarded for Wild first-round pick Luke Kunin". The Athletic. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  20. ^ Mizutani, Dane (October 18, 2017). "Wild recall up top prospect Luke Kunin, two others". St. Paul Pioneer Press. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  21. ^ Russo, Michael (October 27, 2017). "Milestone first NHL goals: Kunin scores shorthanded, Mitchell the winner in Wild victory". The Athletic. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  22. ^ "Playing Rosters Unveiled for 2018 AHL All-Star Classic". National Hockey League. Florida Panthers. January 4, 2018. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  23. ^ Mizutani, Dane (March 5, 2018). "Wild top prospect Luke Kunin out for the season with torn ACL". St. Paul Pioneer Press. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  24. ^ McLellan, Sarah (March 6, 2018). "Former Wild No. 1 pick Luke Kunin suffers torn ACL". Star Tribune. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  25. ^ "Minnesota Wild Forward Luke Kunin Undergoes ACL Surgery". Sports Illustrated. April 4, 2018. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  26. ^ Myers, Dan (October 8, 2018). "Kunin cleared, heads to Iowa for next step in return from ACL surgery". National Hockey League. Minnesota Wild. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  27. ^ McLellan, Sarah (December 9, 2018). "With Mikko Koivu injured, Wild recalls Luke Kunin from Iowa". Star Tribune. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  28. ^ Murphy, Brian (December 17, 2018). "Wild lose Matt Dumba to injury for at least a week". St. Paul Pioneer Press. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  29. ^ "Wild re-assign forwards Kunin, Eriksson Ek during break". St. Paul Pioneer Press. January 24, 2019. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  30. ^ "Wild recalls forwards Luke Kunin and Kyle Rau". National Hockey League. Minnesota Wild. February 4, 2019. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  31. ^ Russo, Michael (April 24, 2019). "After year in NHL, Wild's young stars in Iowa are making the most of AHL stint". The Athletic. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  32. ^ "Wild reassigns Donato, Greenway, Kunin to Iowa". National Hockey League. Minnesota Wild. April 9, 2019. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  33. ^ Vickers, Aaron (May 19, 2019). "Kunin aims to make most of eventful journey to World Championship". National Hockey League. Minnesota Wild. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  34. ^ Mizutani, Dane (November 18, 2019). "Wild's personal 'GEEK Squad' helping Minnesota fix problems". St. Paul Pioneer Press. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  35. ^ Mizutani, Dane (January 5, 2020). "Wild's checking line is GEEKed up and playing well". St. Paul Pioneer Press. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  36. ^ McLellan, Sarah (June 19, 2020). "Wild's Luke Kunin says he is ready to play, despite his Type 1 diabetes". Star Tribune. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  37. ^ Mizutani, Dane (July 11, 2020). "Here's everything fans need to know about the Wild–Canucks qualifying series". St. Paul Pioneer Press. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  38. ^ McLellan, Sarah (August 12, 2020). "Who's staying, who's leaving: Wild beat writer Sarah McLellan breaks down the roster". Star Tribune. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  39. ^ Mizutani, Dane (August 8, 2020). "Wild's season ends abruptly as Canucks score 11 seconds into overtime". St. Paul Pioneer Press. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  40. ^ "Predators Acquire Luke Kunin, 2020 No. 101 Overall Pick from Minnesota". National Hockey League. Nashville Predators. October 7, 2020. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  41. ^ Vingan, Adam (January 4, 2021). "Luke Kunin won't practice with the Predators without a new contract". The Athletic. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  42. ^ "Predators Sign Luke Kunin to Two-Year, $4.6 Million Contract". National Hockey League. Nashville Predators. January 6, 2021. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  43. ^ "Ellis out 4–6 weeks for Predators with upper-body injury". National Hockey League. March 2, 2021. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  44. ^ Bratten, Brooks (March 27, 2021). "Preds Extend Win Streak to Four with Victory in Chicago". National Hockey League. Nashville Predators. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  45. ^ Boclair, David (August 19, 2021). "Luke Kunin: A Special Kind of Player". The Hockey News. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  46. ^ Organ, Mike (May 8, 2021). "Nashville Predators clinch NHL playoff berth with win against Carolina Hurricanes". The Tennessean. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  47. ^ Skrbina, Paul (May 23, 2021). "Luke Kunin earns spotlight in Game 4, but Juuse Saros is the Nashville Predators' real MVP". The Tennessean. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  48. ^ Skrbina, Paul (May 28, 2021). "Nashville Predators' improbable run to postseason ends with some questions, some answers". The Tennessean. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  49. ^ "Predators' Luke Kunin: Not playing Monday". CBS Sports. RotoWire. May 10, 2021. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  50. ^ Vingan, Adam; Rexrode, Joe (October 13, 2021). "Ten bold (and not so bold) predictions for the 2021–22 Predators season". The Athletic. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  51. ^ "Luke Kunin" - Eliteprospects.com
  52. ^ Ryan, Megan (June 21, 2020). "Sheltered coaches, athletes add pets to provide joy through pandemic". Star Tribune. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  53. ^ "Luke Kunin named to Big Ten All-Freshman team". wiba.com. March 15, 2016. Archived from the original on May 10, 2017. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
  54. ^ "2016-2017 All-American Team". The American Hockey Coaches Association. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
  55. ^ "ROSTERS ANNOUNCED FOR 2018 AHL ALL-STAR CLASSIC". theahl.com. January 4, 2018. Retrieved February 14, 2018.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by Minnesota Wild first round draft pick
2016 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Luke_Kunin&oldid=1055948803"