MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Kyle Rudolph’s leaving the deep freeze of Minnesota for the warm waters of Hawaii this weekend, as the second-year Vikings tight end has just been named to his first Pro Bowl.

The Notre Dame product is replacing Atlanta Falcons TE Tony Gonzalez, who won’t appear due to injury.

Rudolph tallied a career high in touchdowns (9), receptions (53) and receiving yards (493) this season. His nine scores by a tight end, were tied for first in the NFC.

Only Rob Gronkowski’s 10 touchdowns for the AFC Patriots topped Rudolph. Back in 2009, Vistanthe Shiancoe set the franchise records for scores in a season with 11.

He’s the sixth Viking selected to the 2012 Pro Bowl, joining Jared Allen, Jerome Felton, Chad Greenway, Adrian Peterson and Blair Walsh.