MADISON, Wis. — With strong starts to their freshmen campaigns for the Wisconsin men's hockey team, Luke Kunin and Matt Jurusik have drawn notice from NHL scouts.
 
On Tuesday, NHL Central Scouting released its 2016 midterm rankings, which listed both Kunin and Jurusik in the top 20 of their respective classifications.
 
Kunin, who was listed on Central Scouting's Watch List as a potential first round draft pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft at the beginning of the season, was slotted as 16th best North American skater on the midterm rankings.
 
Kunin has had a superb start to his freshman season on the Badgers top line and currently leads the team in goals and is tied for the team lead in points with 18. Before the season even began, Kunin played at the CCM/USA Hockey All-American Prospects game and recorded a game-high three points. He has also been honored as a Big Ten Star of the week this season as well.
 
Meanwhile, Jurusik was pegged as the 15th best North American goaltending prospect and the only Division I goaltender to make the list. After Adam Miller started the second game and third games of the season in goal, Jurusik has since started the last 17 in between the posts for Wisconsin, while grabbing two Big Ten Star of the Week accolades. Jurusik also owns one shutout this season, a 3-0 blanking of Michigan State on Dec. 12.
 
Wisconsin returns to home ice this weekend to take on Border Battle opponent Minnesota at the Kohl Center. Faceoff is slated for 8 p.m. on Friday night and 7 p.m. on Saturday night.