Trade rumours just that to healthy Shinkaruk

There hasn't been any stopping for Vancouver Canucks prospect Hunter Shinkaruk, a first-round selection in the NHL’s 2013 draft who has even been mentioned in recent trade talks.
Shinkaruk, who was in his fourth season with the WHL's Medicine Hat Tigers, suffered a hip injury when they played host to the Portland Winterhawks on Oct. 23.
Although he had to fight through excruciating pain, he refused to come out of the lineup, in hopes of making Canada's world junior team. At 19 years of age, it was his last year of eligibility.
Shinkaruk finished with five goals and 11 assists in 18 games with the Tigers,
earning himself the opportunity to crack Canada's roster. But it was just too much, as it was apparent his game was affected significantly by the injury. Team Canada released him on Dec. 19 following a 4-2 victory over Finland.
Despite being disappointed after having done everything in his power to make the team, he didn’t have time to dwell on it.
The Tigers announced on Dec. 27 that Shinkaruk would undergo hip surgery to repair a slightly torn labrum and that he was done for the season.
This was the first time Shinkaruk had experienced something like hip surgery, but he was able to find one guy who would support him through the process -- Vancouver goaltender Eddie Lack.
While Lack was playing for the AHL’s Chicago Wolves in 2012-13, he was dealing with what was believed to be a groin injury, but what turned out to be a hip flexor problem that required surgery and ended his season.
Dr. Marc Phillipon did Lack’s procedure, and would work on Shinkaruk as well.
“I talked to (Eddie) kind of more leading up to the surgery,” Shinkaruk said. “(I talked to him about) what it was going to feel like and what the time was going to be like after. I haven't talked to him in a little bit, but I talked to him a lot leading up to the surgery.”
The surgery was successful, and then it was time to get back to work. There was no time to waste if he wanted to be ready for training camp in September.
“Rehab was pretty crazy,” Shinkaruk recalled. “From the time I had surgery, the only day I had off was Sunday. I trained hard, and I was in the pool a lot. I was doing things that rehab staff I had working around me told me to do, and it worked out. It's been a lot of hard work, it definitely hasn't been easy at all, but it's been worth it.”
After spending long hours in the gym, he finally was allowed to skate on March 11.
“I try not to focus too much (on worrying about my hip),” he stated. “Obviously, when you (have) hip surgery, there's always that little worry in the back of your mind, but I have the best doctors in the world looking after me and the best rehab people looking after me. I knew that I was going to be OK.
“It was definitely nice when I got back on the ice for the first time and I felt just like I have for the first 19 years of my life. I feel great right now, and I'm very blessed the surgery went well.”
However, he hasn't yet been cleared for contact.
“Doctors haven't really given me too much of a timeline,” Shinkaruk said. “They've just told me to keep working hard and to keep staying focused. I think that when I get down to Vancouver, they’re going to tell me when I can get hit. That's kind of the last timeline that I have left because I've passed everything else.
“I haven't seen a doctor in a little bit so I don't have clearance to get hit yet. I'm sure that if it doesn't come at training camp, it'll come shortly after. I feel great, I feel 100 per cent, and obviously from the medical side the doctors will be able to tell me what I can and can't do. (That being said), I don't think there's anything I can't do.”
Aside from the gym and the rink, the offseason is an opportunity for players to take some time to spend with their families and friends.
But because Shinkaruk has been busy and focused on rehabbing his hip so that he'd ready for the Canucks' training camp, he hasn't been able to do much of that. But there was one event that only happens once a year that he wasn't going to miss.
“I've been training for about six months now,” he explained. “So I figured if I could get away for a week and a little bit, it would be really nice. It was my parents, Roger and Patrisha's, 25th anniversary so they went on a cruise for two weeks but I only joined them for just a week. We were down in Italy and Greece, and it was great. As a hockey player at this level you don't get to travel and
see the world this much anymore so it was a lot of fun that I got to go down there.”
Shinkaruk returned home on June 15. Soon afterward, he was in the middle of trade rumours.
The 2014 NHL draft is scheduled for Friday and Saturday in Philadelphia.
The Florida Panthers have the No. 1 pick and have been open about the fact that they're looking to trade it. Vancouver, which has the No. 6 selection, has said it would like to move up.
Elliotte Friedman of Hockey Night in Canada reported on Monday that the Canucks have offered the No. 6 pick and Shinkaruk for the Florida's first selection.
“It's something that I guess is part of the game,” Shinkaruk said, with a laugh. “It's the first time my name has ever popped up in any rumour. You know what, it is what it is. You get a lot of tweets about it on Twitter and sometimes you kind of get worried. But you know, at the end of the day, all it is, right now anyways, is a rumour.
“I've really enjoyed being a prospect of the Canucks this far and worked hard to make sure that I'll be a key player in that lineup this coming season. We'll see what happens, but it's part of the game and part of the life that I've chosen to live so I can't really complain.”
Despite having his name in the rumour mill, Shinkaruk remains focused.
“It's completely out of my control,” he said. “It's up to Vancouver and the other team. All I can control is making sure that when I'm in the gym and when I'm on the ice I'm improving my game. That's where my head is at right now, I just want to make sure that I'm ready to go and ready to have a great season in the NHL this coming season.”
Last year, the Canucks made a splash at the draft as they traded goaltender Cory Schneider to the New Jersey Devils for the ninth-overall pick, which they used to select London Knights forward Bo Horvat. Shinkaruk and Horvat just happen to be good friends.
“I've haven't talked to Bo too much about this new rumour,” Shinkaruk said. “I think it's more something that, at this point, is just a rumour and I'm trying to not spend too much time thinking about it and talking to people about it because I can't really do too much about it.
“If something happens, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.”

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Ducks take bite out of Canucks

By DICKSON LIONG
Special to Taking Note

VANCOUVER -- The Vancouver Canucks’ hopes of making the NHL playoffs continue to fade.
For most of the season, Vancouver has struggled to score goals. But ever since a 4-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on March 23, Vancouver’s offence had started to show some life.
Vancouver forward Zack Kassian, who has had difficulties providing consistent offence since donning a Canucks' sweater, finished with four assists while playing on a line with David Booth and Brad Richardson that night.
“You know what, I know that everyone is going to focus on the four points that he gets,” John Tortorella, the Canucks' head coach, said. “But, for me, there were some other things.
“I thought that there were times that he dumped the puck at the right time, instead of trying to make something happen.
“I thought he changed up, and you guys might think it's small things but those are the things that we're looking for. He changed up at the right time, and you can see the concentration in his game. You see it, and want to see it more.”
The Canucks then headed out on a two-game road trip that had them visit Colorado and Minnesota. Vancouver defeated the Wild 5-2, but lost 3-2 in overtime against the Avalanche.
The 22-year-old Kassian continued to click on a line with Richardson and Booth, as they continued to appear on the scoresheet on the road trip, combining for six points, including two goals from Kassian.
As well, Canucks' sniper Daniel Sedin scored his first goal in 24 games, as he got one against the Wild.
“It was probably my worst game out of (those 24 games), but I was able to tip one in,” he said. “It's nice, but hopefully it can get me going, and in the right direction.”
But, quite frankly, all of that doesn't matter.
Vancouver is desperate for anything that will lead to victories if it wants even a slight chance of making the playoffs. The Canucks, who have 79 points in the Western Conference, and are the No. 10 seed.
Anaheim, Calif., the home of Disneyland, is considered by many to the happiest place of Earth. It also is the home of the Ducks, who have been one of the best teams in the league this season.
As a result, many of the their opponents haven't left the city with smiles on their faces. That’s the way it was for the Canucks on Jan. 14 when they lost 9-1, leaving the Ducks with a Ducks a 20-0-2 record when playing in their home arena, the Honda Center.
“It's never a great feeling to be on the wrong side of a 9-1 game,” said Canucks' defenceman Dan Hamhuis, who finished with a minus-1 on the night. “We played a pretty solid first period, and played in a way that gave us a chance to win. Their power play (was really good) and the game kind of got away from us from there.”
Vancouver wasn't scheduled to play the Ducks at the Honda Center on Saturday night; the game was at Rogers Arena. However, the Canucks needed to find a way to get on the winning side as they were winless in each of the three times they had faced Anaheim this season.
“It's a must win,” Kassian said prior to the game. “We feel we played well on the road but with the situation we're in, we still have a hill to climb and this is a must-win game. We don't want to look to far down. We need to win this one tonight and it's against a very good team, but we feel that the way we have been playing, we can beat these guys.”
Kassian finished with an assist, extending his point streak to four games. But the goal on which he assisted, which came from Richardson at 11:12 of the first period, was the only one the Canucks were able to put up as they dropped a 6-1 decision.
“It's definitely frustrating right now,” Kassian explained. “There's no ifs, ands or buts about it, we're on the outside looking in and to lose a game like this tonight, it's very frustrating. But we have to be professionals and go about our business. Like I said earlier, like I said 100 times in the past week, we're competitors and we want to play for each other. That's what we're going to do.”
And so Vancouver doesn't move anywhere in the standings. It remains on the outside looking in, continuing to battle Phoenix and Dallas for the final playoff spot. The Coyotes and Stars are Nos. 8 and 9 in the Western Conference, with have 84 and 83 points, respectively.
Like the Canucks, Dallas and Phoenix played on Saturday. The Stars defeated the St. Louis Blues, but the Coyotes lost to Minnesota. Both teams have games in hand on Vancouver.
“We try to look for some help but I don't know if we really deserve it, to be honest,” Richardson confessed. “It sucks to be in a position where you have to rely on teams to lose, and we're not winning all our games. So, you know, what do you expect? We'll see what happens.”
Time is clearly starting to run out, with the Canucks having only six games left in the season.
“Every loss now is tough,” Sedin said. “We need wins, we need points. Yeah, it's tough, but we have to stay positive and keep going. That's all we can do.”
NOTES: Vancouver D Kevin Bieksa (leg) took the team's morning skate and dressed against the Ducks. . . . Canucks' D Andrew Alberts (concussion) skated, but is likely done for the season. . . . Vancouver F Henrik Sedin remains day-to-day. . . . Vancouver G Eddie Lack made his 16th consecutive start. . . . Canucks' head coach John Tortorella confirmed that the team has re-assigned D Frank Corrado to the AHL's Utica Comets. . . . Vancouver took Sunday off, then will return to practice on Monday as it prepares to play host to the New York Rangers on Tuesday.

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