Young Wild Tracker: Kaprizov hits KHL scoring milestone
With signees and draft picks spread out across two continents and more than a dozen junior leagues, keeping up with the Minnesota Wild's various prospects can be a daunting task.
From managing streaming plans and tracking down cable channels, to learning a few new languages (Puhutko suomea?), keeping tabs on the next generation can be a full-time job.
FOX Sports North has you covered.
From Finland to Fargo, we're breaking down the stats and bringing you a comprehensive look at the Wild's prospect pipeline each and every week.
So, let's take a look at the week that was in the latest edition of the Young Wild Tracker.
Kirill Kaprizov, LW, Salavat Yulaev (KHL)
Kaprizov is officially the top under-20 scorer in KHL history. After scoring two goals in a win over Vityaz on Monday the 19-year-old rifled home a one-timer in a win over Dynamo Moscow the following day, giving him 41 points in just 43 games, a new KHL record for a U20 player. Washington Capitals forward Evgeniy Kuznetsov set the previous record as a member of Traktor Chelyabinsk during the 2011-12 season, posting 41 points in 49 games. Kaprizov has a year left on his KHL contract and won't make it to the NHL before the 2018-19 season.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7kflF_V24U
Mario Lucia, F, Iowa Wild (AHL)
Lucia showed off some nifty hands on a breakaway in the Wild's 2-1 win over Grand Rapids on Wednesday, scoring in back-to-back games for his first time as an AHLer. It was his third straight game with a point. Lucia came up big in an overtime loss to Texas a few days earlier, splitting the defense and clanking a near-miss off the crossbar with just over 10 seconds to go in the third, before picking up the assist on Sam Anas' game-tying goal just a few seconds later. He scored in the rematch last weekend, stretching Iowa's lead to 3-1 in the third period.
Luke Kunin, C, Wisconsin (Big Ten)
It was another productive weekend for the Badgers captain, who picked up two points on Friday in a 4-3 loss to rival Minnesota. Kunin cut the Gophers' lead in half in the second, picking up the puck along the wall, before walking in atop the left circle and firing a nifty goal home from the high slot for his 14th goal of the season. He added an assist on Trent Frederic's goal early in the third period on Hockey Day Minnesota to help secure a 5-3 win for the Badgers. And in a rare Thursday game at Ohio State, Kunin tallied a goal and an assist as Wisconsin beat the eighth-ranked Buckeyes.
