Hunter Shinkaruk pulls off the hat trick in Utica Comets home opener

Photo Credit: Sergei Belski/USA TODAY Sports

The Vancouver Canucks’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Utica Comets, scored just one measly goal in their opening two games of the 2015-16 season. On Wednesday night the Comets, the AHL’s reigning Western Conference champions, returned to the friendly confines of the Aud for their home opener and absolutely put the boot into the Rochester Amerks. 

Though the score remained close until late in the game, the Comets outshot their opponent 47 to 14. Newly named Comets captain Alex Biega led the way with seven shots on goal, but Hunter Shinkaruk managed five, and three of those shots found the back of the net. Last year Shinkaruk was snake bit in the extreme to begin his rookie season of professional hockey, but with three goals on six shots this year, it’s fair to say he’s off to a hot start.

Click past the jump to see Shinkaruk’s goals.

Here’s the first one, set up by a choppy sort of rush initiated by Linden Vey:

(Courtesy: @WinThaGame)

Shinkaruk’s second tally was set up by a nifty bit of passing, as Jordan Subban fed Brendan Gaunce in the high slot on the power play and Gaunce made a a really clever touch pass to Shinkaruk, who made no mistake with a stellar wrist shot:

(Courtesy: @WinThaGame)

Finally Shinkaruk’s third goal, which would ultimately hold up as the game winner, was created largely by a really smart seagull by Andrey Pedan, which created a three-on-two situation. Shinkaruk skated hard up the royal road as Pedan fed Nicklas Jensen to created a 2-on-1 situation. When Shinkaruk received a nice pass from Jensen at the net front, he flipped the puck to his backhand and beat hot shot Buffalo Sabres goaltending prospect Linus Ullmark cleanly:

(Courtesy: @WinThaGame)

Shinkaruk is an enormously talented winger, but he had an inconsistent first year with the Comets, and when Travis Green and Jim Benning were both critical of his play at the Young Stars Tournament in September and the Canucks made him an early preseason cut later in the month, it appeared as if his sophomore season was off to a similarly difficult start.