| Not really racist! | 09-06-2013 04:07 PM |
Quote:
Canucks’ top prospect Hunter Shinkaruk aims to make hometown Flames pay for passing on him twice in NHL draft
‘It’s definitely going to be something that will drive me every time I play against them,’ says Vancouver’s late first-round pick
BY ELLIOTT PAP, VANCOUVER SUN SEPTEMBER 6, 2013
Canucks top prospect Hunter Shinkaruk aims to make hometown Flames pay for passing on him twice in NHL draft
Vancouver Canucks wing prospect Hunter Shinkaruk skates during practice on Thursday, Sept. 5, 2013 at the South Okanagan Event Centre in Penticton, as part of the Young Stars rookie tournament, which hosts prospects from teams including the Canucks, Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames, Winnipeg Jets and San Jose Sharks.
Photograph by: Ward Perrin , PNG
PENTICTON — You can just imagine how Vancouver Canucks prospect Hunter Shinkaruk felt at last June’s NHL entry draft.
He was a consensus first-round pick and the Calgary Flames, his hometown team, had two selections in the opening round, No. 6 and No. 22.
—————
VIEW MORE PHOTOS HERE, or if you're using a mobile app, tap the story image and swipe.
—————
The Shinkaruk family were Flames season-ticket holders — “ever since I can remember” — and Hunter was playing junior down the highway in Medicine Hat. He was hardly hidden from the team’s view. But the Flames passed on Shinkaruk with both their picks, opting instead for forwards Sean Monahan and Emile Poirier. Ouch.
“For sure, it was tough,” said Shinkaruk, who eventually went 24th overall to the Canucks. “They had two chances to take me and, after they didn’t take me with that second pick, I kind of sat back in my seat. That’s not to say that the player they took is not a great player. Obviously they just had a different look at who they needed.”
Interestingly, Poirier is listed as a left-winger, the same position Shinkaruk plays. Poirier scored 47 goals for the Gatineau Olympiques his last two junior seasons while Shinkaruk netted 86, included 49 in 2011-12 alone.
It still seemed to be eating up Shinkaruk on Thursday, prior to the Canucks’ first outing at the Young Stars rookie tournament in Penticton.
“Being a competitive kid, I want to make sure the Flames wished they had taken me with that pick,” he said. “It’s definitely going to be something that will drive me every time I play against them, for sure. If I can get out there and make them pay for not taking me it would be pretty nice.”
If Shinkaruk needed further motivation, he was also passed over by the Edmonton Oilers (seventh), Winnipeg Jets (13th) and the San Jose Sharks (18th), the other three teams competing in the Young Stars tourney. That’s a fairly decent chip to carry on one’s young shoulders. Bitter? Who, him?
“When I was in the gym and on the ice this summer, it was definitely something I was thinking about,” he said. “I knew basically every team here had a chance to pick me. I’m going to make sure they’re going to pay for it.”
That’s a lot of paying. From a Canucks standpoint, what could be better? Shinkaruk hasn’t made the big club yet, and probably won’t this year, and he’s already miffed at three divisional rivals.
“Hunter takes the game seriously,” noted Utica Comets head coach Travis Green, who is running things for the Canucks in Penticton. “He’s got a hunger in his eyes. It looks like he wants to be a hockey player. My first impression is that he’s a really focused kid.”
Shinkaruk understands he is up against it to make the Canucks this season. Vancouver is well-positioned on left wing with veterans Daniel Sedin, David Booth and Chris Higgins. Even Alex Burrows can play the left side. There isn’t much room for an 18-year-old kid, even an elite junior scorer. Shinkaruk turns 19 on Oct. 13.
“You realize it’s pretty tough to make the NHL team but that’s still my goal,” he said. “Obviously those players you mentioned are great players. If I can get into (main) camp and try to fight for a job, that’s all I can ask. It’s definitely nice to see that in the near future, I’m going to have a little bit more of an opportunity, I guess. But at the end of the day, it’s hockey and you’re going to be fighting for jobs the rest of your life.”
At a listed 5-10 and 181 pounds, Shinkaruk isn’t the largest of bodies. His assets are his speed, his hands and his finish, plus an apparent ability to get mad at a bunch of teams.
“Obviously when you come to an NHL camp, you don’t know what the organization and coaches are thinking about,” he said. “So every time you get on the ice, you want to make an impression. I’m going to try to keep doing that throughout the week. I want to show them who I am as a player and as a kid.”
Read more: Canucks? top prospect Hunter Shinkaruk aims to make hometown Flames pay for passing on him twice in NHL draft
| Which reminds me, Bo vs Sean later today...probably the first of many H2H battles in the future being division rivals
Will laugh at Feaster in a couple years when Shinny and Bo outplay Porier and Monahan Quote:
Luongo arrives in Vancouver looking forward
Friday, 09.06.2013 / 7:25 PM / News
By Kevin Woodley - NHL.com Correspondent
VANCOUVER -- Roberto Luongo returned to the city he thought he'd left for good Friday, pulling on a Vancouver Canucks practice sweater for the first time since the team shocked everyone -- especially Luongo -- by instead trading Cory Schneider to the New Jersey Devils at the NHL Draft.
Almost two months later, Luongo said it still seemed strange to come back.
"It was a bit odd flying here," Luongo said after an informal hour-long skate with more than a dozen teammates. "But now that I am here I am just focused on getting training camp started and making sure I am where I want to be physically."
As for where he is mentally, Luongo insisted it's a good place.
"I have been focused on getting ready for training camp the last month or so, trying to eliminate every distraction possible," he said. "And at this point in time that's all I really want to be focused on, just playing the game, and making sure I get back to where I was two years ago and re-establish myself as one of the best in the League."
It was a consistent theme throughout Luongo's 10-minute chat with local reporters, a large gathering he helped create by announcing his return on a no-longer secret Twitter account (@Strombone1) the night before.
Luongo ended his tweet with "#divatour2013," a reference to a "Ya Done Being A Diva" headline that ran in the Vancouver Province in late August along with a story suggesting he dragged things out by not talking soon after the trade and played a role in being the one who wasn't dealt.
Luongo said Friday he wants to finally end a saga that started almost two years ago, when Schneider took over as the starting goalie two games into the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, leading Luongo to say it "was time to move on."
But when asked directly if he wanted to be back in Vancouver now, Luongo, who has nine seasons left on a 12-year, $64 million contract, didn't provide the kind of definitive response that might have put a stop to any lingering questions about his long-term future.
"I've said all along I want to play, and right now I have that opportunity so I want to take advantage of that and go as far as we can and hopefully try to win a Stanley Cup," Luongo replied. "This is a big year for me. I have been sitting on the bench for a while and I want to show everybody what I can do. We all know it's an Olympic year so I just want to make the best of it."
As for that long-term future, Luongo said he has stopped worrying about it. And if Friday was any indication, he will soon stop talking about it, which was one of the reasons he took to Twitter to announce his return to Vancouver.
"Try to get it out of the way as quick as possible so it is less of a distraction once training camp starts. I really don't want it to be around the team once we get going," Luongo said. "It's a situation that's tough to figure out. You just have to stop trying to figure it out and just let it play out as it plays out. It's a bit out of my hands and I don't want to worry about that stuff. I don't want to hurt my teammates and I don't want to hurt the organization, so I don't want this to carry on all season and have to talk about it."
His teammates don't seem worried about an awkward situation dragging on.
"It was weird. You feel bad for the guy, but at the same time, he is a world-class goalie and we are happy to have him on our team," Ryan Kesler told NHL.com. "He's a professional. I think he is going to have his best year yet."
Roberto Luongo returned to the city he thought he'd left for good Friday, pulling on a Canucks practice sweater for the first time since the team traded Cory Schneider to the Devils at the NHL Draft. (Photo: Jeff Vinnick/NHLI)
That professionalism meant Luongo never considered not reporting to camp -- "not my style," he said --and he said he doesn't hold a grudge against general manager Mike Gillis, who visited Luongo at his Florida home shortly after the about-face trade of Schneider.
"There was no animosity there," Luongo said of a meeting described by Gillis earlier this summer as jovial. "I don't know if it was as rosy as he painted it, but we had a couple of laughs. They are just trying to do their job, and I don't hold that against them at all."
Luongo said he is looking forward to his wife and two children joining him in Vancouver after they stayed at their Florida home for the abbreviated 2012-13 season. And the 34-year-old has a chip on his shoulder about reclaiming his spot among the NHL's elite goaltenders.
"Not angry. It's not anger," he said. "You feel like even though you have been in the League such a long time you always feel like you have something to prove and that's the way I feel, that's the way I have approached this year. … When you are the backup, whether you like it or not, your reputation goes down a little bit. People don't give you a much credit as when you are playing 70 games a year. I just feel that way. Some people see it differently, but for myself I just want to show everybody I can still do it."
Luongo said he is looking forward to playing for new coach John Tortorella, whom he talked to several times over the phone. Luongo said he expects Tortorella to bring a "spark to the boys" and sees no problem playing behind a team promising to block more shots. The ensuing bounces can leave an over-aggressive goalie stranded out of position, and though Luongo is no Henrik Lundqvist in terms of his positioning, he has played inside the crease on end-zone plays since goaltending coach Roland Melanson arrived in Vancouver three seasons ago.
"I'm a 3/4 depth guy now so I'm not too worried about it," Luongo said.
There wasn't much Luongo seemed to be worried about. But after expecting to leave Vancouver for good for almost two years, he wasn't willing to say he is now prepared for anything.
"Just when you think you've seen it all, right, there's always something else," Luongo said with a laugh. "I don't know what the future holds, but right now I am just focused on the season."
| |
