Justin Kloos will captain the Gophers for the 2015-2016 men's hockey season, the team announced on Wednesday. The junior forward and Lakeville, Minn., native will become the 161st player to receive the honor.

"Growing up in Minnesota and seeing the guys who have been a part of this school and this tradition, this is a huge honor for me and I'm incredibly thankful for the support of my teammates," Kloos said in a statement.

Kloos is the Gophers active leading scorer with 64 points (29 goals, 35 assists) in 80 games and helped lead the team to two consecutive Big Ten titles and NCAA tournament berths, respectively. He was the Gophers' fourth-best scorer last season with 32 points (13 goals, 19 assists).

His team-best 16 goals as a freshman marked the first time a rookie had led the team in goals since Jay Barriball did it in 2006-2007. Kloos was also named the NCAA West Regional most Outstanding Player during his freshman season.

Off the ice, he's an Academic All-Big Ten honoree.

"Justin has been a program-first player since he arrived on campus. He's a terrific teammate, a hard worker and a great example of how we want our student-athletes to carry themselves on and off the ice" Gophers coach Don Lucia said. "He is a great representative of our program and the University of Minnesota, and we are excited to name him as our team captain for the upcoming season."

Alternate captains will be announced at a later date.