The Merritt Centennials are pleased to announce that forward Carter Shinkaruk has accepted an offer to play for Elmira College in Elmira, N.Y. starting with the 2012-13 season.

Shinkaruk played in 22 games this past season for Merritt after being acquired in January from Powell River and posted 11 goals and 10 assists in 60 games spent between the Centennials and Kings. He also added three goals and one assist in nine playoff games for the Cents this past spring.

Shinkaruk finishes his BCHL career with 25 goals, 35 assists and 88 penalty minutes in 173 games with Langley, Powell River and Merritt.  

"Carter has made a very wise decision in choosing to attend Elmira," said Cents head coach and general manager Luke Pierce. "It is a program that perennially contends for championships while providing a solid education to their student athletes, we are confident that Carter will be an impact player for them while excelling in the classroom.

"We acquired Carter this past January for his playoff experience and maturity, both of which he provided," Pierce continued. "We didn’t realize at the time that he would bring much more to our group as his skill, passion, and positive attitude helped push our team through the end of the regular season and provided Merritt with one of the most exciting playoff runs in a long time.

"We thank Carter for his contributions here over that time and wish him all the best during this next step," added Pierce.