The Minnesota Wild took Wisconsin forward Luke Kunin with their first round selection. The big forward is a low risk prospect who is guaranteed to make the Wild better in the very near future.
The wondering is over. The Minnesota Wild made their first round selection and decided to use the fifteenth overall pick on Wisconsin forward Luke Kunin. The concenus answer seemed to be that the Wild were going to pick Edina grad Keiffer Bellows, but alas Chuck Fletcher called out Kunin’s name instead at the First Niagara Center tonight.
Kunin’s selection should not be a surprise though. He’s been projected as a possible Wild pick for some time now. The native of St. Louis Kunin just finished his freshman year at Wisconsin and was slated solidly in the top twenty prospects. With a year of NCAA experience behind him already he could possibly be ready in one to two seasons to make the jump to the professional ranks. For now, he’ll be back in Wisconsin finding his game as a power forward under the tutelage one of the best power forwards ever Tony Granato.
For Wisconsin Kunin racked up 19 goals and 13 assists in his first campaign. He has been identified as being a very good thinker with strong instincts to make plays happen. Kunin’s shot has also been described as very accurate, and he’s been gifted with excellent speed that helps him keep up an awesome transition game.
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His biggest value to the Wild is that he could play an outstanding two-way game while at the same time contributing on the scoreboard with massive effectiveness. The Wild will need a power forward like him in the system. Right now in Iowa at center the Wild have a group that might be a bit undersized. Centers like Sam Anas and Christoph Bertschy are all well under six-foot, and while they offer scoring talent they will have a hard time playing the physical game needed to be successful at center in the NHL. Kunin is a pure center who has the size, offensive attributes, and grit to play center in the NHL.
Finally, what Kunin brings to the Wild is his outstandingly positive attitude. It’s obvious in his interview after being selected that he’s ready for this challenge, but humbled at the same time. It’s been said that dealing with his type one diabetes has made him more disciplined in his approach to the game, and given him a unique perspective about how lucky he is to be playing day-in and day-out.
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I for one am excited. I’ll admit I wanted Bellows, but Kunin was my next choice for sure. He’ll help the Wild and because of his maturity and NCAA experience I consider him a low risk pick who will definitely be a part of the Wild in the future. It’s only a matter of time till we see Kunin lighting the lamp at the X.