Two NAHL players selected in 2021 NHL Draft
Minot Minotauros forward Kyle Kukkonen (top) and Shreveport Mudbugs goalie Arsenii Sergeev (bottom) were both selected in the 2021 NHL Draft.
The North American Hockey League (NAHL) is pleased to announce that two players who played in the NAHL during the 2020-21 season were selected in the 2021 National Hockey League Draft, which took place virtually on June 23-24.
Kyle Kukkonen, an 18-year-old forward for the Minot Minotauros this past season, was taken with the 162nd overall pick in the 6th round of the NHL Draft by the Anaheim Ducks.
The 5’10/170 lbs. native of Maple Grove, MN scored 9 goals and added 7 assists during his 19 regular season games, finishing the 2020-21 season with 16 total points. He was named the Central Division Star of the Week for the week of December 7-13, 2020.
The Michigan Tech recruit also had five points in five Robertson Cup Playoff games in 2021.
Kukkonen also posted 74 points in 23 games during his senior year of high school in Maple Grove, Minnesota.
The other NAHL player selected was Shreveport Mudbugs goaltender Arsenii Sergeev. who was taken with the 205th overall pick in the 7th round of the NHL Draft by the Calgary Flames.
Sergeev, 18, just completed his second season of playing junior hockey in the NAHL and first with the Mudbugs. The 6’3/192 lbs. native of Yaroslavl, Russia, posted a 14-4-2 record in 20 appearances during the 2020-21 season to go along with a 2.17 goals against average and .936 save percentage. Sergeev’s goals against average ranked 3rd in the NAHL this season and his save percentage ranked 2nd.
Sergeev, who committed to play NCAA Division I hockey for the University of Connecticut last week, was named the South Division Star of the Week twice during the 2020-21 season on February 1-7 and again on April 19-25.
Sergeev played in the NAHL during the 2019-20 season for the New Jersey Titans, where he posted a 10-4-0 record in 15 appearances with a 3.56 goals against average and a .892 save percentage.
