Badgers men’s hockey captain Luke Kunin has just been announced to be on the preliminary World Juniors roster. Kunin is one of twenty-seven players who are fighting for a spot on the final 23-man roster to play in the World Junior Championship in Montreal and Toronto, Canada between December 26, 2016 and January 5, 2017.
This wouldn’t be the first time that Kunin has played in the World Junior Championship. In 2015, Kunin led Team USA to a gold medal in the 2015 U-18 World Championships, scoring six goals in seven games.
Kunin came to the Badgers in the 2015-16 season with seasons of international experience already under his belt. In addition to the 2015 World Junior Championship, the 6’0” forward has played with the U18 Five Nations Tournament in the Czech Republic and the 2014 Four Nations Tournament in Sweden.
During his 2013-14 season with the US U-17 team, Kunin scored a noteworthy 20 goals and earned 39 points in 52 games. As a member of this same team, Kunin was able to win the 2014 World U-17 Hockey Challenge in Sydney, Nova Scotia. He had made his mark at this same tournament only a year earlier in Slovakia, having earned two goals and three points in the 2013 tournament.
Kunin is the first Badger to make the roster since 2014, when forward Nicolas Kerdiles represented the University of Wisconsin for team USA. Finland won the tournament that year.
This season with the Badgers, Kunin has 14 points in 14 games, earning five assists with a +/- of -5 and scoring nine goals, two of which were scored during this weekend’s split-series against Omaha.
The final roster for the U.S. National Junior Team is expected to be announced by December 24th.