The Charlotte Checkers have signed forwards Hunter Shinkaruk and Colin Markison and defenseman Derek Sheppard to AHL contracts.
Shinkaruk, 24, completed his fifth pro season in 2018-19 and tallied five goals and five assists for 10 points in 54 games with the AHL’s Laval Rocket.
Shinkaruk has skated in 305 career AHL games with Laval, Stockton and Utica, registering 80 goals and 79 assists for 159 points. He reached the Calder Cup Finals with Utica in 2015 and was an AHL All-Star in 2016.
A first-round pick by Vancouver (24th overall) in the 2013 NHL Draft, Shinkaruk has collected two goals and two assists in 15 career NHL games with Vancouver and Calgary.
Markison, 26, matched a career high with 27 points (eight goals, 19 assists) in 62 games with the AHL’s Texas Stars in 2018-19.
He has appeared in 208 AHL games with Texas and Bridgeport, totaling 21 goals and 51 assists for 72 points, and played in the Calder Cup Finals with Texas in 2018.
Sheppard, 25, made his AHL debut in 2018-19 and recorded one assist in 10 regular-season games with the Checkers. He added one goal and one assist in six appearances during the postseason, helping Charlotte to a Calder Cup championship.
Sheppard spent most of his first pro campaign with Florida (ECHL), notching 40 points in 57 games.
