The youth movement just added another passenger, at least for a little bit. The Vancouver Canucks have made a surprise move this morning, calling up Hunter Shinkaruk from the Utica Comets.

Shinkaruk has had a fascinating start with the Comets, vastly increasing his offensive production compared to his AHL rookie year. In twelve games, the 21-year-old left winger has picked up ten goals and three assists, putting him at nearly half of his point total from last season in 62 fewer appearances.

While he’s “only” picked up points in eight of the twelve games and has only scored on five occasions, Shinkaruk has made his performances count. He already has three multi-goal performances, including two Hat Tricks on October 21st (vs. Rochester) and November 7th (vs. Providence). Yesterday, he picked up a goal in Utica’s 6-3 loss over Springfield. His 38.4% shooting percentage isn’t likely to last, but in the meantime, it’s winning Utica games.

Shinkaruks’ most frequent linemates this year have been Linden Vey and Alexandre Grenier. It’s unknown whether he’ll draw into the Canucks lineup tonight. Shinkaruk was scheduled to play in Syracuse tonight, but will rush over the border and into somewhat nearby Toronto as soon as possible. Shinkaruk was voted by Canucks Army staff as the organization’s 5th best prospect in our 2015 Summer Rankings.

Puck drop for both the Canucks and Comets is at 4 PM Vancouver time.