Baggot: Kunin doing things his own way
December 03, 2015 | Men's Hockey, Andy Baggot
Freshman forward overcoming youth, diabetes, to become top player
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BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
MADISON, Wis. -- Luke Kunin grew up in Missouri, but he expects a sizeable homecoming when the Wisconsin men's hockey team shows up in Ann Arbor, Michigan, this weekend.
Kunin, a freshman left winger, spent two of the most meaningful years of his life there with the prestigious U.S. National Team Developmental Program.
He graduated from Pioneer High School in three years at the tender age of 17. He went from a whisper to a yell among NHL talent evaluators. He cultivated a captain's mentality, a mature, well-spoken presence defined in part by his need to manage a serious health challenge.
When the Badgers (3-5-4 overall) open Big Ten Conference play facing 12th-rated Michigan (7-2-2) at Yost Ice Arena Friday and Saturday, Kunin will have his own welcoming committee.
His parents, Mark and Sheri, will make the journey from Chesterfield, Missouri. Karl Wukie and Jaime Nelson, who opened their home to Kunin for his two years in Ann Arbor, will be there as well.
Assorted relatives, not to mention members of the NTDP entourage, will also be on hand to greet Kunin, who turns 18 on Friday.
"It's like a second home for me," he said. "Being there two years, it's a special thing to go back. It will be an exciting weekend for sure."
Of course, Kunin expects to get reacquainted with left winger Brendan Warren and defenseman Nicholas Boka, former teammates at the NTDP who now play for the Wolverines.
Kunin also hopes to see Don Granato, the former Wisconsin captain who coached Kunin with the under-17 and under-18 teams in Ann Arbor.
"He's one of those people I'd really like to thank for making me a better player," Kunin said.
Earlier this season, Granato was asked if Kunin reminded him of any one. The question was intended to measure if Kunin's game compared to someone of note in the NHL, but Granato had an interesting alternative.
Who does Kunin remind Granato of?
"Luke Kunin," he said.
What was Kunin's reaction?
"I'm my own type of player," he said.
Wisconsin fans have gotten a measure of that analysis during the first 12 games. Kunin, listed at 6-foot and 193 pounds, shares the team lead in goals with four and is second on the club in points with nine and shots with 35. Two of his conversions tied the game in the third period and another put the Badgers ahead for good in their 3-1 upset of then-top-ranked North Dakota on Nov. 6.
NHL talent judges have gotten a measure of Kunin, too. Some have him going in the first 30 picks of the 2016 draft in June, which would make him the 11th first-rounder in program history.
Scouts are so enamored with Kunin's 200-foot game, explosive shot, moxie and innate leadership skills that at least one independent evaluation service has him in the top 20.
Wisconsin coach Mike Eaves said Kunin seems to be adapting well to an advanced on-ice education.
"He's still learning," Eaves said. "He's getting used to the strength and the speed - he seems to be doing that in good stride - but every weekend is new for him because there are different players with different skill sets and different strengths."
Despite being one of the youngest players on the under-18 team last season, Kunin was the unquestioned leader as captain of the club, according to Granato.
Where did that come from?
Kunin grew up in the St. Louis Triple A midget program and rubbed elbow pads with the likes of Al MacInnis and Keith Tkachuk, NHL greats who played for the St. Louis Blues and helped coach in that organization.
Kunin said he also kept his eyes and ears open when it came to identifying role models throughout the NHL.
"You take away the right things they do at the rink and away from the rink," he said. "You're always trying to be the hardest worker and leading by example."
Having NTDP teammates such as Tkachuk's son, Matthew, and Auston Matthews, projected to be the first overall pick in the '16 NHL draft, helped in that regard.
Kunin said Granato - one of three from his family to captain the Badgers - also had an impact.
"I thought we were closer than most," Kunin said. "We kind of connected right when I got there."
Kunin, who had 27 goals and 42 points in 61 games with the NTDP under-18 squad last season, said accelerating his high school education was a decision based on confidence and awareness.
"I just thought I was ready to make the jump and ready to take my career to the next level," he said. "It was a little bit of a challenge, but I buckled down and got it done."
Kunin's father believes that some of his youngest son's advanced maturity can be traced to a moment six years ago when Luke was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. That's when the body doesn't produce insulin, which is a hormone the body needs to get glucose from the bloodstream into the cells of the body.
Luke must keep close tabs on his blood sugar levels and diet while administering injections of insulin as needed.
"He's done fabulous and pretty much managed it on his own since the day he was diagnosed," Mark Kunin said of his son. "He never let any of that get to him.
"It's a non-factor other than sometimes he has to check his blood sugar during games - between periods - and get something like Gatorade.
"The maturity started early because of all that - of having to deal with all that."
Luke was in sixth grade when he found he was drinking a lot of water and getting up multiple times in the night to urinate. That gave way to tests that revealed a serious problem if it's not managed properly.
"I wasn't feeling that great and hockey wasn't doing well, either," he said.
"It's not an easy thing to do and being able to control that and being away from home since age 15. It's helped me be a better person and more mature."
That sense of awareness came to life last month when rumors began to circulate that Kunin was preparing to leave the Badgers and sign with Sarina, a Major Junior outfit that owns his Ontario Hockey League draft rights.
"I don't know who started them or where they were coming from, but you just worry about what you can control," he said. "Obviously they weren't true and I'm here.
"It's in your head a little bit because you don't know what other people think. I don't want my teammates thinking I'm leaving because that wasn't true."
The anonymous posting appeared on Twitter during the week leading up to a non-conference series at North Dakota. Kunin answered by tweeting out a rebuttal that said: "Can't wait to play North Dakota this weekend."
Kunin, one of 10 first-year players for the Badgers, proactively met with his Wisconsin teammates to assure them of his status.
"Obviously they saw it on social media there and they were asking me about it," he said. "I told them, 'No, it's not true. I'm a Badger and I'm here with you guys.'"
Mark Kunin said his priority was to make sure Eaves and his assistants, Luke Strand and JB Bittner, were up to speed.
"For the most part we just had to make sure that the people that matter knew what the story was," Mark Kunin said. "There's no telling how these things start or where these things start."
Mark Kunin said his son spoke with officials from Sarina prior to coming to Madison and remained true to his college commitment even amid the challenges of last season for the Badgers.
"He met with them and he was honest with them from day one," Mark Kunin said of his son. "He wanted to be up there at Wisconsin even after the challenging year of last year. He never wavered."
That's why you may see a celebration - part family reunion, part birthday party - this weekend in Ann Arbor.
