Jake Virtanen

At 27 years old, Jake Virtanen has this physical status:

Jacob "Jake" Virtanen (born August 17, 1996) is a Canadian professional ice hockey winger who is currently playing for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League. (NHL)

Virtanen was drafted sixth overall in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. Virtanen competed for junior hockey with the Calgary Hitmen of the Western Hockey League (WHL) in international competition in 2013 and 2014 with the 2013 World U-18 Hockey Championships, 2015 IIHF World U20 Championships, and 2016 IIHF World U20 Championships.

Early life

Virtanen was born in New Westminster, British Columbia, on August 17, 1996, and he spent his first 12 years in Langley, British Columbia, before settling in nearby Abbotsford, British Columbia. Virtanen, a student at Fraser Middle School Hockey Academy, where he competed rugby through grade 7 and 8. He was a member of the Fraser Valley 7s and the full-on league for Grade 8/15-a-side teams in eighth grade. He attracted the attention of his physical education instructor who, after advising him to play rugby properly, had personally trained him on the rules of the game. The middle school in Virtanen was directly linked to the W.A. Fraser Skills Academy, which he also attended with Yale Hockey Academy. Virtanen was praised for his wrist shot from executive director Billy Wilms while attending Yale Secondary School, which was affiliated with the hockey Academy. In a video interview, he said, "Jake stood out as a kid who you just knew would be a pro in grade 9...Jake's wrist shot was more difficult than my slap shot when we did skill testing...Jake steps up and shoots an 81 with a snapper, and he was only in grade 9.

Rainer's father, Rainer, immigrated from Finland, and his mother, a French Canadian, is a Finnish Canadian. Virtanen obtained jus sanguinis Finnish citizenship through his father, and he has a tattoo of the Finnish coat of arms on his right forearm.

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Playing career

Virtanen, who grew up in Abbotsford, began his minor hockey career there. Virtanen was a member of the Abbotsford Hawks at the bantam level in 2010–11, scoring 68 goals and 117 points in 59 games. Virtanen, a 15-year-old boy, spent the majority of the 2011–12 season with the Fraser Valley Bruins, where he scored 39 points in 39 games and 120 penalty minutes.

The Calgary Hitmen of the Western Hockey League (WHL) selected Virtanen with the first overall pick at the 2011 WHL Bantam Draft. During the 2011-12 season, he appeared in nine games for the Hitmen and was a regular for Calgary in 2012-13. Virtanen had scored 16 goals and 34 points in 62 games and was quickly recognized as a top-ranked candidate for the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.

Virtanen's goal scoring total from the previous season soared to Calgary for his second straight junior season, with 45 on the year. He had 26 assists and ended with 71 points. Virtanen was named as the ninth-best North American skater for the 2014 Draft at its midseason debut, and he appeared in the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game.

Virtanen climbed three spots in NHL Central Scouting's year-end rankings, finishing sixth among North American skaters. In its initial preview, the Hockey News projected Virtanen to be a "pure goal scorer" in the NHL and ranked him 11th overall. Both his physical appearance and the quality shot were lauded by the magazine, but it also stated that he is not known as a playmaker and that his "hockey sense" necrised expansion. He underwent shoulder surgery in May 2014 but was not expected to sideline him until December 2014.

The Vancouver Canucks selected Virtanen sixth overall in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. He was the first British Columbia born player to be selected in the first round by the Canucks since Cam Neely in 1983. Via Twitter, Virtanen revealed on July 25, 2014, that he had signed an entry-level deal with the Canucks. "What an honor to sign with the Vancouver Canucks," he wrote about his contract. "I'd like to thank anyone who has helped me get to this point, particularly my family!" Following their WHL Playoff loss, he returned to the Hitmen for his final year of major junior hockey before being reassigned to the Canucks' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Utica Comets. Virtanen made his professional debut during Game 6 of the Western Conference Semifinals on May 18, where he joined the Comets' 2015 Calder Cup playoffs lineup. Following the Oklahoma City Barons' defeat of 2–1, he said it was "a wonderful experience and a great time with a large group of guys." Here, the guys are a lot bigger, and the game is quicker. The game was thrilling, and the followers were raving over it. The ambiance in the rink is ecstatic." He continued to play with the Comets during their post-season grind, eventually contributing to his first professional help with a Sven Bärtschi goal against the Grand Rapids Griffins in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals.

Virtanen, who played in the AHL for a season, was invited to participate in the Canucks 2015 training camp before the 2015-16 season. He impressed during the camp by scoring two goals and two assists in six pre-season games and was later named to their opening night roster. His NHL debut came a few days later, when he was brought on as a replacement for Jared McCann on October 13 during the Canucks' match against the Los Angeles Kings on October 13. In a 5–1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens, he went scoreless on his debut but later scored his first NHL point (an assist) on a Derek Dorsett goal. It was announced on November 1, 2015, that Virtanen and McCann had joined the Canucks' team past their nine-game "try out" season, putting them back to juniors without wasting a year of their contracts. Virtanen, who was playing with Brandon Sutter, scored his first NHL goal in a 3–1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers, despite this decision. After scoring one goal and four points in 19 Canucks games, he was recalled to the Comets on a health stint. Before being loaned to the Canadian national junior team for the 2016 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, he played two games with the team before being loaned to the Canadian national junior team (WJC). In the quarterfinal game against Finland, Virtanen scored one point in five games and took three penalties. "I was more distraught in losing the game," he replied to his online haters. We went over there to win a gold medal, but we didn't get it. "Obviously, I want to shoulder a little bit of blame for that." Virtanen re-joined the Canucks after returning to North America and finished his rookie season with 13 points in 55 games.

Virtanen was invited to the Canucks training camp prior to the 2016–17 season but he arrived late. During the offseason, he was instructed to maintain a weight of 213 pounds, but on his arrival weighed in at 231 pounds. He appeared in ten games with the Canucks before being reassigned to the Utica Comets, where he remained for the majority of the season. On November 13, he was recalled to the Canucks but three days later, he was sent back to the Canucks: he had only scored 9 goals and 10 assists in 65 games. Virtanen also played in Utica, scoring 19 points in 65 games despite often playing a bottom-six role. His work in Utica earned him an invite to the Canucks' training camp, where he was on the roster for opening night. He will play in the NHL for the entirety of the season, with a record of 20 points in 75 games. The Canucks re-signed Virtanen to a two-year $1.25 million deal on July 25, 2018, although GM Jim Benning praised his "physical presence and speed."

TSN 1040 radio hosts Jason Brough and Mike Halford promised to shoot a beer every time Virtanen scored during the season, with the tag "Shot Gun Jake" attached. Following their first goal of the season in a 5–2 win over the Calgary Flames, fans took to Twitter to post videos of themselves Shotgun Jake. Despite his good start to his season with a career-high 22 points in 58 games, he suffered a fractured rib during a February game against the Anaheim Ducks and was out of the lineup for one month.

Virtanen, who was relegated to the third skating team, mainly AHLers, was at the Canucks training camp leading up to the 2019-20 season. When asked, Canucks head coach Travis Green said there were "goals" that hadn't been addressed during the offseason. Green confirmed that Virtanen would remain in the Canucks lineup, but that he was not expected to play a large role during the season. Despite his rough start, Virtanen scored a career-high 36 points in 69 games during the shortened regular season. Virtanen was caught on stage 2 of the NHL's Return to Play process, and the Canucks said it was addressed internally. Virtanen was unimpressed with Canucks coaches during training camp and was re-called back to play for the second time in the Qualifying Round as the league returned to action for the second time in the Qualifying Round. He rejoined the team as a replacement for forwards Tyler Toffoli and Adam Gaudette in Game 2 with Loui Eriksson as a back up for forwards Tyler Toffoli and Adam Gaudette and helped the team beat Minnesota by 4-3. Virtanen scored a goal and an assist in Game 5 to help the Canucks bounce back from a 3–1 deficit to win the game 4–3, giving Vancouver a 3–2 lead in the series, which they won in six games. After scoring the game-winning goal in Game 6 in the second round against the Vegas Golden Knights, Virtanen helped the team advance to a Game 7 elimination game. He finished the season with three points in 16 games after losing in Game 7 after being eliminated.

Virtanen signed a two-year, $5.1 million deal with the Canucks on October 22, 2020. Vitanen had trouble offensively with the Canucks in 38 regular season games, a career low 5 goals in 38 regular season games.

Following sexual harassment charges, Virtanen was put on leave by the Canucks on May 1, 2021 and had his $3.4 million contract bought out by his hometown team in July. Following an investigation by the Vancouver Police Department, he was charged with sexual assault in January 2022. He was arrested on September 26, 2017 and was later found not guilty by jury on July 26, 2022. Virtanen was granted unconditional waivers by the Canucks on July 25, 2021, for the sole purpose of a buyout from the remainder of his contract.

Virtanen, a veteran agent on the off-season, and with sexual harassment charges pending, he was unable to secure a job in the NHL. Virtanen, 20,21, was signed to a one-year deal with Russian club Spartak Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League, with the 2021-2021 season underway in Europe. Virtanen was released from his job with Spartak Moscow after a "breach of employment" on March 7, 2022.

Virtanen and the Edmonton Oilers signed a professional tryout deal on September 19, 2022. He was released on October 6, 2022.

Following a sexual harassment charge made by a woman identified in court records as "M.S.," Virtanen was placed on leave by the Canucks on May 1, 2021. M.S. Virtanen and M.S. During the summer of 2017, I was at the 2017 Calgary Stampede and kept in touch by text messages. She said on September 26, 2017, she went to Vancouver for a photoshoot and to visit relatives. When she was in Vancouver, she decided to join Virtanen, and he escorted her to a Vancouver hotel from a friend's house. The woman claimed that Virtanen then "used his body weight and superior strength" to render her powerless. "Virtanen proceeded to whip open the plaintiff's legs and have sexual contact with the defendant without the plaintiff's permission," her complaint states. The Canucks later released a statement saying that "their group does not accept sexual assault of any sort" and that the allegations were being treated "very seriously."

After seeing others doing so on Twitter, the suspected perpetrator claims she finally agreed to come forward. In a virtanen's reply, he admitted to having sex with the woman but that he did not force herself on her and that she consented "through her words and conduct." M.S. Virtanen claimed that he was M.A. She gave him no verbal or physical indication that she did not want to engage in sexual behaviour. M.S. She said "no" and physically shocked Virtanen off her, which was also evidently in the court.

Virtanen was charged with one count of sexual harassment by the British Columbia Prosecution Service in January 2022 after the Vancouver Police Department opened an investigation in May 2021. The trial began in Vancouver, BC, on July 18, 2022. A jury found Virtanen not guilty on July 26, 2022, not guilty.

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