Canucks couldn’t ignore a guy who scores goals
MIGHT START MONDAY: Hunter Shinkaruk recalled from Utica Comets
TORONTO — Ask Canucks GM Jim Benning about Hunter Shinkaruk. Heck, ask any scout. They all tell you the same thing. “He just loves to score,” Benning said, thoroughly impressed. Yes, he sure does. “It’s probably my favourite thing in hockey, whenever I get a chance to put a puck in the net,” Shinkaruk said.
“Whenever you watch any of my celebrations, you can tell I get pretty excited. That’s something I’ve shown in the past.
“And I’ve shown it again this year. “It’s the thing that I love.” Shinkaruk has enjoyed a lot of love this year.
In the AHL, he already has 10 goals in 12 games. He has two hat tricks and just missed a third while looking at an open net on a backdoor play.
“That one stings,” Shinkaruk said. “Some people Tweet me that one.”
Shinkaruk was called up Saturday. It was an interesting selection for the Canucks.
Benning had gone to see the Utica Comets play recently. In the game he saw, Shinkaruk didn’t do much. But in the next, he scored another hat trick.
With Brandon Sutter out and no timeline for his return, the Canucks could have gone with Brendan Gaunce, who can play centre and wing and is more of a support player than Shinkaruk, who realistically needs to play at the top of the lineup to be at his best.
But the Canucks just couldn’t ignore what Shinkaruk has done this year. Really, he’s been the Comets’ best player.
Arriving in Toronto Saturday, he took the game-day skate but did not play. Head coach Willie Desjardins said the Canucks called him up in case someone gets sick.
But Alex Burrows flew home on a personal matter and Brandon Prust is still a game away from being ready to play.
It means Shinkaruk still has a chance to get into the lineup for the Canucks this week, maybe even against Montreal Monday. Honestly, they could use him. Asked what the Canucks have missed this trip, Jannik Hansen said: “One more goal.” The one thing Shinkaruk can do, maybe better than any of the Canucks prospects, is score goals — and lots of them.
On that point, many may raise an eyebrow and say, “Uh, what about last year?”
But despite few power-play minutes and much of the season spent in the bottom six, Shinkaruk still scored 16 goals in 70 games in his first season as a pro.
It really wasn’t as bad as some make out, a point Shinkaruk has been making for months.
But this year, he has been on a different level.
“I’m a better player,” Shinkaruk said. “I made a lot of good strides last year.
“I really didn’t know what to expect at the pro hockey level.
“It was a little bit of a tough year last year.
“But I’m a lot better player now.”