Kyle Kukkonen named CCHA Rookie of the Year
HOUGHTON, Mich. – Michigan Tech's Kyle Kukkonen has been named the CCHA Rookie of the Year the league announced on Wednesday. Kukkonen is Tech's first conference rookie of the year since 1973 when Mike Zuke was honored.
Kukkonen, a native of Maple Grove, Minnesota, and Anaheim Ducks draft pick, was a unanimous selection on the CCHA All-Rookie Team on Monday after he leads CCHA freshmen—and the Huskies—with 18 goals.
Kukkonen has the fifth-most goals by a Michigan Tech freshman in program history and his 18 goals are the most by a Tech freshman since 1988 when Kelly Hurd potted 18 tallies. He was named the CCHA Rookie of the Week three times and the CCHA Forward of the Week once.
Kukkonen has skated in all 38 games and also tallied nine assists for 27 points. He ranks fourth nationally with five game-winning goals to lead the CCHA while also adding five power-play goals and a pair of shorthanded goals. Kukkonen had eight multi-point games and five games with a pair of goals. He had a pair of six-game point streaks during his freshman season.
In CCHA games, Kukkonen played in all 26 conference contests for the Huskies and led all rookies with 14 goals and was third with 18 points. He led all skaters in game-winning goals (4) and ranked fourth in goals and goals per game (0.54), sixth in shots (82), and seventh in shots per game (3.15). He recorded five multiple-point games in conference play with five power-play tallies and one shorthanded marker.
Voting for the 2022-23 All-CCHA Teams and CCHA Players/Coach of the Year awards were conducted by the eight head coaches at each CCHA member institution, based on CCHA conference games only. Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own players or themselves.
Additional CCHA major awards will be released on Wednesday and Thursday.
Conference Rookie of the Year
1959-60—Lou Angotti
1962-63—George Hill
1964-65—Gary Milroy
1970-71—Mike Usitalo
1972-73—Mike Zuke