Hunter Shinkaruk was drafted 24th overall in the NHL entry draft by the Vancouver Canucks in 2013. Canucks fans were overjoyed when Mike Gillis, the Canucks’ former general manager, announced the pick, as Shinkaruk had been slated to go in the top 10 prior to the draft.
The pick was especially relieving, as the Canucks had just taken Bo Horvat with the ninth overall pick, which they hadreceived from New Jersey in exchange for goaltender Cory Schneider. Fans were upset with the Horvat pick because many considered it too high a ranking for him. However, when Shinkaruk dropped to the Canucks’ 24th overall pick, there was a feeling of general satisfaction. Many considered him a steal because he was picked so late relative to where he was expected to go, which was coincidentally ninth overall in the TSN Mock Draft.
Shinkaruk went on to have an excellent training camp. He first performed well in the prospects tournament in Penticton, and during the main training camp showed that he could keep up with the NHL veterans. Morale was high in the Lower Mainland as both Shinkaruk and Horvat remained with the team for the duration of the pre-season.
There was much talk around Vancouver about how this would be the first time in Canucks history that two 18-year-olds made the team right out of training camp, but the excitement was quieted when they were both sent down to juniors before playing a regular season game for the Canucks.
Shinkaruk’s season would be cut short due to injury, however, as he suffered a torn labrum in his hip sometime in November. Despite the injury, he still tried out for Team Canada for the World Junior Hockey Championships, a prestigious annual tournament for U20 players from all over the world.
It was clear during tryouts that there was something wrong with Shinkaruk, he didn’t show the same speed that he showed in the Canucks’ training camp. Shinkaruk failed to make the team and then decided to get the surgery that he’d been holding off because of the World Junior Championships (WJC). He explained his decision to hold off on the surgery in an interview with the Vancouver Sun. “I couldn’t really tell people because, for sure, that probably would have cost me a chance to even get to try out for the world junior team. I knew what was going to have to be done but it was something I just wanted to battle through to try and make the world junior team.”
Shinkaruk would miss the rest of the season due to the surgery. It would also be the end of his junior career.
Shinkaruk began his pro career with the Utica Comets, the AHL affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks. He had an awful start. The transition from playing against teenagers in junior to men in the AHL, combined with recovering from the surgery, led to Shinkaruk starting off slowly. He was easily pushed around and looked slow. Not only was his offense slow to get to the AHL level, but his defensive play as well.
Strength was the biggest issue for him at the start of his pro career, opposing players were just having their way with him. However, he progressed. Over the course of the season, he adapted to playing against bigger opponents. From October 2014 to February 2015 Shinkaruk had a total of seven goals. In March he had five and then in April he scored four times. He ended the season a better player than he when he started, and his play has carried on to this season.
As of now Shinkaruk is leading the AHL in scoring. In October he had six goals, and halfway through November he has four more. He has adapted to playing against men, he has gotten faster, and his decision-making is much quicker. If he keeps this level of play up it won’t be long until Vancouver is forced to call him up to the NHL.
