(WNFL) – Wisconsin’s leading goal-scorer as a freshman, Luke Kunin (Chesterfield, Missouri) was chosen by the Minnesota Wild with the 15th overall pick in the first round of the 2016 NHL Draft on Friday.
Kunin produced a standout freshman campaign as a Badger, scoring 19 goals and 32 points in 34 games to earn Big Ten All-Freshman Team honors. He finished the season with nine goals over his last 10 games and 10 goals over the last 12 contests of the season. He also finished with points in seven consecutive outings, posting six goals and nine points during the streak.
UW’s first freshman since Dany Heatley in 1999-2000 to lead the Badgers in goals, Kunin was the first Badger rookie to record 30 points in a season since Nic Kerdiles did so in the 2012-13 season. He was also one point shy of sharing the team lead in points as a freshman, which was last accomplished by Kyle Turris in 2007-08.
Kunin’s 32 points ranked second among Big Ten freshmen and his 0.94 points-per-game scoring mark ranked seventh in the nation among rookies.
