I am trying to do same thing - to get a H1b visa from canada and I can not find anyone have this experience in Toronto, CA.
I think we could come back with valid I-94 card, but I am not sure what is valid / not valid for I-94 card.
check out this link.
http://www.travel.state.gov/travel/tcn.html
The previous regulation allowed individuals whose visas had expired but whose I-94 forms remained valid to re-enter the U.S. without obtaining a new visa. The previous regulation made limited distinctions among citizens of various nationalities, and aliens who applied for and were denied a new visa were nonetheless permitted to re-enter the United States. The changes we are now implementing enhance border security by requiring that aliens from state sponsors of terrorism obtain a new visa (and thus go through a new set of interviews, computer checks, etc.) before re-entering the United States, and by ensuring that people who were found by one of our overseas embassies or consulates to be ineligible for a visa cannot get around such a finding by re-entering the U.S. using solely their I-94 form.