Vancouver Canucks call up defenceman Luke Schenn amid injury woes

VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Canucks have called up veteran defenceman Luke Schenn to fill a void on their injury-plagued roster.

Vancouver acquired the 29-year-old from the Anaheim Ducks last month in exchange for defenceman Michael Del Zotto.

Schenn was immediately sent down to the American Hockey League’s Utica Comets, where he’s posted a goal and four assists in seven games.

The Saskatoon native was picked fifth overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2008 draft, and has amassed 30 goals and 113 assists over 716 NHL games.

The Canucks called Schenn up on Friday after an unfortunate spate of injuries that has seen seven players sidelined since Feb. 2.

Left-winger Sven Baertschi remains out of the lineup indefinitely due to post-concussion syndrome, goalie Thatcher Demko is recovering from a knee sprain, defenceman Alex Edler is out with a concussion, centre Brandon Sutter will miss at least two weeks with a groin issue, defenceman Chris Tanev has an ankle injury, and right-winger Jake Virtanen is dealing with an upper-body injury.

The team’s starting netminder Jacob Markstrom missed a game on Monday with what the club described as “lower back tightness” but returned to action in Vancouver’s 1-0 loss to the Ducks on Wednesday.

The Canucks beat the L.A. Kings 4-3 in a shootout on Thursday and will wrap a three-game road trip with a battle against the San Jose Sharks on Saturday.