An undrafted free agent who became a four-time Stanley Cup champion, Kunitz has always found the path to success.
Kunitz attended Ferris State University, where he helped the Bulldogs advance to the regional finals in 2003 in the school's first appearance in the NCAA tournament. That year Kunitz was named Central Collegiate Hockey Association player of the year, earned All-America honors and was the runner-up for the Hobey Baker Award as the top player in college hockey following a 35-goal, 79-point season.
An undrafted free agent who became a four-time Stanley Cup champion, Kunitz has always found the path to success.
Kunitz attended Ferris State University, where he helped the Bulldogs advance to the regional finals in 2003 in the school's first appearance in the NCAA tournament. That year Kunitz was named Central Collegiate Hockey Association player of the year, earned All-America honors and was the runner-up for the Hobey Baker Award as the top player in college hockey following a 35-goal, 79-point season.
In four years at Ferris State, Kunitz scored 20 or more goals three times and finished with 99 goals and 175 points in 152 games, making him a heavily recruited free agent among NHL teams, and he signed with the Anaheim Ducks on April 1, 2003.
Kunitz played 21 games with the Ducks in 2003-04, then spent two seasons with Cincinnati of the American Hockey League before he found a regular spot with Anaheim. He finished with 19 goals and 41 points in 69 games (which includes two games with the Atlanta Thrashers after he was claimed on waivers before returning to Anaheim after the Thrashers placed him on waivers).
In 2006-07, Kunitz reached the 25-goal mark during the regular season before helping the Ducks win the Stanley Cup for the first time in franchise history.
On Feb. 26, 2009, the Ducks traded Kunitz to the Pittsburgh Penguins, where he found a home skating on the top line and finished with seven goals and 18 points in 20 games. In the postseason, his 13 assists helped Pittsburgh win the Stanley Cup for the first time in 17 years.
In the 48-game 2012-13 season, Kunitz was named to the NHL First All-Star Team.
The 6-foot, 195-pound forward helped the Penguins win another Stanley Cup championship in 2016, with 40 points in the regular season and 12 in the playoffs.
In the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Kunitz scored 11 points (two goals, nine assists) in 20 games. His goal 5:09 into the second overtime of Game 7 against the Ottawa Senators in the Eastern Conference Final put the Penguins in their second consecutive Final, which they won in six games against the Nashville Predators.
As an unrestricted free agent, Kunitz signed a one-year contract with the Lightning on July 1, 2017.
