Three Maple Grove Players Selected in NHL Draft
Three hockey players with ties to Maple Grove were selected in the NHL Draft over the weekend.
Justin Janicke, Kyle Kukkonen, and Cal Thomas were all picked on the second day of the draft.
Kukkonen was selected by the Anaheim Ducks in the sixth round (162nd player overall) following a great season of high school hockey at Maple Grove.
He scored 31 goals and 43 assists for the Section 5AA champion Crimson and was named the Star Tribune’s Metro Player of the Year. Kukkonen will play this coming season in the USHL with the Madison (WI) Capitols and has committed to Michigan Tech for college hockey.
Kukkonen’s high school teammate Cal Thomas was selected nine picks later (171 overall) by the Arizona Coyotes. The all-conference defenseman scored five goals and added 21 assists for the Crimson.
Thomas is expected to play in the USHL this season and has committed to the University of Vermont for the 2022-23 season.
The expansion Seattle Kraken chose Justin Janicke with their seventh round selection (195 overall). Janicke, who turned 18 in June, spent the last two seasons playing in the USA Hockey National Team Development Program.
Janicke will play this coming season with Dubuque of the USHL and is committed to Notre Dame.
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Maple Grove Senior High School
