Hunter Shinkaruk

June 2019 – Shinkaruk did not get a qualifying offer from the Canadiens which means he becomes an unrestricted free agent.  Jokke Nevalainen

August 2018 – The Calgary Flames have traded Shinkaruk to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Kerby Rychel.  Jokke Nevalainen

July 2018 – Shinkaruk received a qualifying offer from the Calgary Flames. – Joel Henderson

April 2017 – As you can see from the post below, Hunter played in zero NHL games in 2017-18 after tasting the NHL in the previous two seasons. Calgary brought a few rookies up to the show but Hunter seemed to have slid down the charts. He is currently an RFA and it is doubtful that Calgary would bring him back, as his AHL numbers were fine (17g, 15a, in 63 games), but his NHL potential low. Another NHL team will most likely take a shot at him. – Joel Henderson

Oct 2017 – After clearing waivers, Shinkaruk has a lot to prove he deserves to be in the NHL. Don’t expect him to have many opportunities this season unless he starts producing at an incredible pace in the AHL. Don’t expect that either. I’d expect close to all of this season to be spent in the minors, which is the last year of Hunter’s ELC. Try to trade him if you can. – Joel Henderson

Jun 2017 –  Shinkaruk had some minor injuries, some ups and downs, and some consistency near the end. For fantasy owners, this isn’t enough though. Top offensive forwards in 2015/16 were Grant and Agostino and they didn’t get full time jobs elsewhere either. Unless Shinkaruk can prove he is the best offensive weapon night in and night out, his NHL upside will dwindle. He’s a solid depth option and may even be selected by Vegas, but fantasy owners who were thinking he was for sure an NHLer have to be weary at this point. – Joel Henderson

Nov 2016: Look at that! Hunter was the first call up from the offensively inclined Heat. He skated 12:00 minutes in his first game of the year after putting up seven points in seven contests in the AHL. He was brought up due to injury, so if Flames get back to healthy, he won’t stay. He may bounce around a few lines, and if given some PP time he may go on a quick offensive run. – Joel Henderson

Oct 2016 – Hunter impressed during camp but he could use some more pro development time in the AHL. He will be getting top line minutes and PP time and you can expect he’d be the first call up with an injury in the Top-9. Things might change soon though as teams are putting potential NHL players on waivers. Could move Shinkaruk down a rung on the ladder. He should still get in more than a few NHL games this season. – Joel Henderson

Mar 2016 – With a few bodies injured and Shinkaruk up on an emergency call up, he is inserted into the lineup with Monahan and Grant. They held posession and circled the puck down low consistenly. Hunter forechecked hard and kept an active stick showing off his skating abilities. He even picked up an assist on a TJ Brodie goal, which was his first point in his second NHL game. He looked like he needed little adjustment. Joel Henderson

Feb 2016: Shinkaruk is now a member of the Calgary Flames. Many thought Calgary might draft him with the 22nd pick in the 2013 draft, but Flames elected to take Emile Poirier instead, allowing Vancouver to select him two picks later. Shinkaruk instantly becomes the highest scorer on Stockton, beating out the injured Grant by one point. While the Heat have had solid seasons from Kenny Agostino and now demoted Mason Raymond, Shinkaruk should continue to get powerplay minutes. Expect a period of adjustment this season, but Shinkaruk will have the passion of playing in his hometown of Calgary as extreme motivation for the future. – Joel Henderson

December 2015 – With the pressure mounted on him with a Utica club that isn’t blessed with a great deal of scoring, Shinkaruk has responded by meeting the expectations laid out for him. Scoring at slightly more than a point-per-game average and playing in all key situations for the Comets, Shinkaruk has been all the Canucks could have hoped for this season at the AHL level. With 12 goals and 23 points with a plus-1 rating, Hunter has put up the numbers befitting of a first round pick known for offensive flair. Though a large number of his points have come on the power play, and while his defensive game remains a work in progress, Shinkaruk will continue his development in the AHL this season on track to hopefully becoming the top-six NHL forward in the next 1-2 seasons. ~ David McDonald

November 2015 – With a lot of pressure on his shoulders from the coaching staff in Utica to begin the season, the 2013 first-rounder responded better than anybody could have predicted. Through 12 games, his 10 goals (tied for league lead with four less games played) and three assists have earned him a call-up to Vancouver. He was a healthy scratch in Toronto for his first game with the club (Nov. 14), but you have to think he will see the ice before he gets sent back down. Mike Barrett 

February 2015 – The second half was when Shinkaruk was suppose to explode. A full year removed from his serious hip injury that cost him the remainder of 2014. But the former first-rounder has only scored two goals and one assist in his last 15 games, making his current stat line stand at 6-10-16-22 PIMs-minus-5 through 49 games with Utica. While only 20-years-young, it would still be nice for the winger to have some offensive production before the end of the season. Mike Barrett

December 2014 – In his last 20 games, Shinkaruk has four goals and three assists and is starting to carry the puck more confidently as he recovers from a major hip injury from last season. Utica is arguably the best team in the AHL, so as long as Shinkaruk stays healthy his offensive production should come around. The coming months will tell us a lot about his immediate and long-term potential. Mike Barrett

October 2014 – Shinkaruk was one of the last cuts on the Canuck’s squad out of camp, which was a nice surprise for a player who skated in only 18 games of Junior hockey last season. While reports out of camp were raving about Shinkaruk’s new found work ethic and beefed up body, the rigours of professional hockey are hard on any 20 year old, let alone one coming off a major hip injury. He has two assists in four games so far with an even zero rating, as Utica is the lowest scoring team in the league. Watch for Shinkaruk to get better and visibly more explosive as the season goes on and he really returns to full strength. Mike Barrett

September 2014 – After playing in only 18 games (16 points, 5-11) last season due to a hip injury, Shinkaruk has not only looked good, but made an impact on the score sheet as well. In the Canucks’ first preseason game Shinkaruk lined-up next to fellow roster hopeful Linden Vey to combine for numerous chances. The 19-year-old winger scored a goal, had an assist and was even named the games first star. Don’t be surprised if he’s in the starting lineup on opening night and could potentially contribute with a solid 30 point freshman campaign. As Hunter Shinkaruk continues to impress, it has been attributed to a hard off-season of training while rehabbing from injury. It’s paying dividends early, as Shinkaruk has been the Canucks best young forward notching four points in his first two games of preseason action. Mike Barrett

January 2014 – Shinkaruk has been shut down for the rest of the season with a hip surgery, tough luck for a player that missed all but five games of his age 15 season. The only minor upside is that it explains his offensive struggles on a top team, as well as his inability to make Team Canada. He will have plenty of time to recover for next season, but missing two seasons of development has to be worrying for the smallish forward that almost made the Canucks this season. Brendan Ross

December 2013 – Shinkaruk participated in Team Canada’s final camp for the 2014 World Junior Championship but he was one of three final cuts from the squad. Bothered by shoulder and hip injuries recently, Shinkaruk wasn’t able to step up and provide the offensive workload that Head Coach Brent Sutter and company were seeking in the Canucks’ 2013 1st round selection. Shinkaruk remains a top prospect in the Vancouver system and should return to the WHL with something to prove. Brendan Ross

November 2013 – Hunter has been named to the WHL’s Super Series team, which says a lot about his stature in the WHL as he has missed three games with a hip injury. It is an aggravation of an old injury, and he says he will be back for the weekend of November 9th, and feeling “really good” by the time of the Super Series. So far this season, he has 4 goals and 10 points in 7 games. Brendan Ross

October 2013 – The slick winger impressed tremendously on the second line with the Canucks in preseason. Lining up often with Ryan Kesler, he has shown that he can work past his size limitations and make an offensive impact at that level. He was often dangerous and scored two goals, but like most prospects, he has to work on strength and positioning. Unfortunately, despite reports of his making the team, a trade pushed him back to Medicine Hat just like Bo Horvat. Also like Horvat, he is scoring at a blistering 1.5 ppg pace, and a highlight-reel play a game. Look for the two to pair up at the WJC. With elite stickhandling and a blistering shot, he is easily the most offensively skilled forward in the Canucks’ system. Given how close he was this season, he may make the NHL as soon as next year. Austin Wallace

December 2012 – Hunter Shinkaruk is a small, feisty forward with an excellent passing and scoring abilities. He plays hard in all three zones and is a gifted skater. Shinkaruk was one of the most feared scorers in the WHL last year alongside Emerson Etem. He had 49 goals and 91 points last year. Even without his talented linemate , Shinkaruk has continued to score at a good pace with 44 points in 31 games this season. He was one of the last players cut by Team Canada at their World Junior camp. Shinkaruk will need to bulk up before being able to play pro. He is probably two years away from seeing action in the NHL. Zenon Herasymiuk