Hunter Shinkaruk

Hunter Shinkaruk (born October 13, 1994) is a Canadian ice hockey winger currently playing for the Calgary Flames organization of the National Hockey League (NHL). Shinkaruk was originally selected by the Vancouver Canucks in the 1st round (24th overall) of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.

Shinkaruk played junior hockey with the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League (WHL) before turning pro with the Utica Comets of the American Hockey League (AHL) within the Canucks organization.

Playing career

Minor

Born in Calgary, Alberta, Shinkaruk played minor hockey for the Calgary Royals. After scoring 32 goals and 63 points over 27 games in his second year of major bantam, Shinkaruk was selected 14th overall by the Medicine Hat Tigers in the 2009 Western Hockey League (WHL) Bantam Draft. Advancing to the midget level the following season, Shinkaruk broke the tibia and fibula in his right leg,^[1] causing him to miss the entire 2009–10 campaign with the exception of three games.

Junior

Following his rehabilitation, Shinkaruk joined the Tigers for his first junior season. He scored his first WHL goal in his fifth game, a 6–4 win against the Edmonton Oil Kings on October 16, 2010.^[2] Scoring 42 points (14 goals and 28 assists) over 63 games in 2010–11, he ranked 10th among league rookies.^[3] He added 9 points in 14 games as Medicine Hat advanced to the WHL semifinals.

In his second WHL season, Shinkaruk improved to a career-high 49 goals and 91 points in 66 games, ranking 12th in league scoring.^[4] Playing in 8 post-season games, he recorded 2 goals and 11 points. The following season, Shinkaruk was named team captain for the Tigers and went on to record 37 goals and 86 points in 64 games, ranking 14th among WHL scorers.^[5]

Playing in his draft-eligible year, Shinkaruk was ranked the sixth-best prospect among skaters playing in North America.^[6] He was selected 24th overall by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. Following his draft, Shinkaruk attended his first NHL training camp with the Canucks and was among the team's final cuts. Despite being on the roster after the team's final preseason game, the subsequent acquisitions of Jeremy Welsh and Zac Dalpe resulted in him being returned to junior.

Early in the 2013–14 season, Shinkaruk sustained a torn labrum in his hip,^[7] but played through it in hopes of competing in the 2014 World Junior Championships. After being cut from Team Canada's selection camp, Shinkaruk underwent hip surgery on January 7, 2014, ending his season.^[8] He had recorded 16 points in 18 games. In July 2014, news was revealed that Shinkaruk's hip was injured for much of his junior career and that he had simply delayed the healing process until his surgery in early 2014.^[9]

During his rehabilitation period, Shinkaruk made a conscious decision to address his strength concerns, appearing at the Canucks' 2014 training camp with much greater physical strength after reportedly gaining 15 lbs during that off-season.^[10][11]

Professional

Shinkaruk made his on-ice return at the Canucks' Young Stars Tournament in September 2014 and was later was assigned to the Canucks' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Utica Comets for the 2014–15 season. After a slow start, in which he scored six goals in his first 42 games, Shinkaruk finished his rookie season with nine goals in the last 16 games of the regular season. He then added four goals in 23 playoff games, as the Comets lost in the Calder Cup Finals.^[12]

After an impressive first 12 games in Utica in the 2015–16 season; which included 10 goals and two hat tricks, Shinkaruk was called up by the Canucks.^[13] He made his NHL debut on November 16, 2015 in a 4–3 overtime loss to the Montreal Canadiens.^[14] He was returned to the Comets the following day. Shinkaruk was leading the Comets offensively with 39 points in 45 games when he was traded by the Canucks to the Calgary Flames in exchange for Markus Granlund on February 22, 2016. He was immediately assigned to the Flames AHL affiliate, the Stockton Heat.^[15]

Shinkaruk made his debut with the Flames on March 28, 2016 against the Arizona Coyotes, in which he got his first NHL point.^[16]

International play

He played at the 2010 World U-17 Hockey Challenge and was rewarded for his stand-out performance by being named to the WHC's All-Tournament team.^[17]

Shinkaruk competed at the 2012 IIHF World U18 Championships where he won a Bronze Medal with Team Canada.^[18]

In December 2012, Shinkaruk received an invite to Team Canada's national junior selection camp for the 2013 World Junior Championships, but did not make the final roster.^[1] The next year, he received another invite. Playing with an injured hip, he was the team's final cut prior to the 2014 World Juniors.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2010	Canada Pacific	U17	03 !		6	5	4	9	2
2012	Canada	IH18	01 !		5	1	1	2	4
2012	Canada	WJC18	03 !		6	4	4	8	6
Junior totals					17	10	9	19	12

Awards and honours

References

External links

• Hunter Shinkaruk's career statistics at EliteProspects.com
  
• Hunter Shinkaruk's career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database