It hasn’t been an ideal month for the Minnesota Wild, having won only three of their 12 games played in February. It was a rough start from the beginning, losing captain Mikko Koivu to a torn ACL, but through that injury, it has allowed for a bright spot to shine in the month of February, as former first-round pick Luke Kunin as emerged as a go-to offensive threat for the Wild.
The Fast Track To The NHL For Luke Kunin
Luke Kunin spent his draft year at the University of Wisconsin. After scoring 19 goals and 32 points in 34 games he was selected 15th overall in the 2016 entry draft. It only took him one more year to master the college game, scoring 38 points in 35 games the following year. Finally, turning pro after Wisconsin’s season was over.
After being assigned to the Iowa Wild, Kunin has spent each of his first two professional seasons split between the NHL and AHL. With the way that the month of February has gone, it seems he has left those AHL days behind him.
A Slow Start
After scoring nine goals in 25 games with Iowa to start this season, Luke Kunin was recalled to Minnesota. He played his first game of the year on December 11 against the Montreal Canadiens. He didn’t register any points, played 14:32 and fired two shots on net.
LUKE KUNIN ROOFS A BEAUTY TO OPEN THE SCORING!#MNWild pic.twitter.com/oJLljWGlyR
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) February 23, 2019
December turned out to be a rough month for Kunin adjusting to the NHL. Despite playing in 19 games the year before. In nine games, Kunin registered just an assist and averaged 13:20 TOI. January didn’t turn out to be too much better, as he was able to tally just three points (1 G, 2 A) in 12 games. All while averaging just barely more time on ice (13:33).
Breakout February
There’s no doubting that the Wild are a much better team with Koivu in the lineup, their record has shown that. Having Koivu out though, forced Luke Kunin into a bigger role, however, and he has responded positively to that.
Kunin leads the Wild in scoring for the month of February, scoring nine points (4 G, 5 A) in ten games played. He has seen his ice-time spike, averaging nearly four extra minutes of playing time than he did in December and January.
The extra ice-time hasn’t hurt his advanced metrics either, as not only as Kunin been one of the Wild’s best offensive weapons but is also putting up good numbers compared to the rest of the league.
Luke Kunin vs Forwards with 100 minutes at 5v5 in February
| Stat | Team Rank | NHL Rank | |
| Goals-per-60 | 1.88 | 1st | 13th |
| Assists-per-60 | 1.88 | 1st | 34th |
| Points-per-60 | 3.77 | 1st | 9th |
| Shooting % | 21.05% | 1st | 20th |
| Goals-For per 60 | 5.18 | 1st | 6th |
| High-Danger Goals per 60 | 2.82 | 2nd | 17th |
| Corsi-For % | 56.38% | 6th | 31st |
*Stats as of morning 2/23 from NaturalStatTrick.com
As you can see, Kunin ranks at the top of the Wild, but the league as well in some categories. When it comes to points-per-60 minutes, Kunin has been a top-ten scorer. The shooting percentage certainly favours some regression, but he has always been a strong goal scorer at every level he has played so the drop off may not be far.
One of the most notable numbers is his HDGF/60 mark, as the Wild are scoring nearly three goals from high-danger areas along for every 60 minutes that Kunin is on the ice.
In relative terms, the Wild score 2.32 more high-danger goals per 60 minutes when Kunin is on the ice, as opposed to when he isn’t.
Looking Forward
As of Saturday morning standings, the Wild hold a one-point lead on the Colorado Avalanche for the final wildcard spot. Beyond the Avalanche, three more teams are within four points, and two have games in hand on the Wild.
With Koivu out for the season, the Wild will need to count on Kunin as well as other young players like Joel Eriksson EK, and Jordan Greenway to continue to make progressions if they are going to sneak into the playoffs and make a run.
A little more consistency would be the next step for Kunin to take, as his two-point effort against the Detroit Red Wings on Friday erased a four-game scoreless streak. But, there is little doubt that Kunin heading on the right path.
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