Learn About Jake Virtanen: Why He Has Incredible Upside and is Electrifying.

[Guest]

For those unaware of the kind of player Jake Virtanen is, the simplest way to describe him is as a bulldozer, a physical menace who overwhelms the opposition with his speed, acceleration and size, who powers through the opposition, hits hard, drives the net relentlessly and has a tremendous shot. He fits the description of a power forward, of a pure goal scorer, of a truly intimidating presence on the ice. I thought I'd share this collection of articles and some footage that I feel illustrate the kind of player he is and the player he can become for the Canucks in the future.

Keep the publication dates in mind as well.

Langley's Jake Virtanen taking a star turn with Hitmen
Pap, Elliott. The Vancouver Sun [Vancouver, B.C] 23 Oct 2013: C.2.

Virtanen is a right winger with the WHL's Calgary Hitmen. He has size, a scoring touch and a mean streak. It's an intoxicating package and why he's touted to be a top 10 selection on June 27. Virtanen is no late bloomer either. He was the first overall pick in the 2011 bantam draft. Hockey people have had their eyes on him for a while.

"He's fast, big and intense and has all the intangibles to be a star," said Vancouver Giants general manager Scott Bonner, whose team plays host Wednesday to Virtanen and the Hitmen in a 7 p.m. start at Pacific Coliseum. "I watched him when he was young and he used to be able to outmuscle people and score. Sometimes there is a change when young guys switch to visors and play against older guys but, in his case, it's been a seamless transition."

...

Virtanen, as the name suggests, is of Finnish heritage. His dad was born in Finland and moved to Canada at age six, moved back for some of his teenage years and then moved back again... "When I was younger, my mom and dad and my grandpa were pretty big into hockey," Jake said. "I remember they would bring me to public skating when I was two or three and I think my dad told me I was a natural skater. I was pretty much a rink rat. I always wanted to go to the rink and watch hockey and watch my brother play."

Virtanen split his minor hockey days between Langley, where he started, and then Abbotsford after the family moved there when Jake was entering Grade 7 and his second year of peewee.

...

"I am trying to keep the draft stuff in the back of my mind, but I do think about it a little bit," Virtanen admitted. "Obviously it's a big year. I'm just trying to focus on Hitmen hockey and going far in the playoffs. That's really important. In my opinion, team success comes first and then individual success and points and all that will come, right?" Wednesday's game won't be Virtanen's first at the Coliseum. He played the Giants as a 15-year-old call-up on Jan. 5, 2012 and scored his first WHL goal on Adam Morrison in a 6-4 Hitmen victory. He also played at the Coliseum last season.

"It's still special for me," he said. "My friends, my family and my grandparents can come and watch, so that's pretty cool."

Five players to watch
Calgary Herald [Calgary, Alta] 20 Mar 2014: B.10.

...

Jake Virtanen, LW, Calgary Hitmen... The Skinny: A solid playoff from the 18-year-old power forward could cement his status as a top 10 selection in June's NHL Entry Draft ... Brings equal amounts of crash and flash to the table and can really do it all, possessing a cannon of a shot, a punishing 6-1, 210-pound frame and the instincts and chops to hurt the opposition on the scoresheet ... Scored four goals and four assists in eight games against Kootenay this season ... Had two goals and six points in 15 playoffgames last season.

...

Abby's Jake Virtanen highly touted for 2014 NHL Entry Draft
Kinvig, Dan. The News [Abbotsford, B.C] 26 Sep 2013: A.21.

The 2014 NHL entry draft is still nine months away, with plenty still to be decided, but it's shaping up to be a big day for Abbotsford native Jake Virtanen.

The 17-year-old left winger was front and centre as several preliminary draft ranking lists were released last week.

Virtanen was ranked No. 4 overall by International Scouting Services , and he was No. 6 on TSN's list of the top draft-eligible prospects.

NHL's Central Scouting, which releases a "ones to watch" list at this stage of the season rather than a traditional ranking, had Virtanen rated as an 'A' skater - one of just 23 players to receive the 'A' designation.

Virtanen, who is listed at 6'1" and 210 pounds, is projected as a prototypical power forward with a hard shot and elite skating ability.

...

Hitmen's Virtanen one of top prospects
Calgary Herald [Calgary, Alta] 15 Nov 2013: E.8.

Calgary Hitmen power forward Jake Virtanen is one of eight players from the Western Hockey League who were given 'A' status by NHL Central Scouting on their November watch list released Thursday.

...

Great expectations for Hitmen rookie Virtanen
Kinvig, Dan. The News [Abbotsford, B.C] 25 Sep 2012: A.21.

Conventional wisdom holds that 16-year-old rookies don't often make an instant impact in the Western Hockey League, arguably the toughest junior circuit on the planet... But it took just one memorable play to convince Jake Virtanen that he could be an exception to the rule... Last season, the right winger from Abbotsford was called up by the Calgary Hitmen for a game against the Vancouver Giants at Pacific Coliseum.

Just past the midway point of the first period, he carried the puck out of his own zone and shifted into high gear. Giants centre Cain Franson met him at the blue line, but Virtanen treated him like a pylon, weaving to the outside.

Vancouver defenceman Brett Kulak tried to cut him off along the boards at the red line, but Virtanen slipped the puck under his stick and blew by him to the inside. Then he beat another Giants D-man, Wes Vannieuwenhuizen, to the front of the net, and snapped a glove-side shot past goalie Adam Morrison.

An end-to-end rush like that requires a preposterous skill set, and the play was all the more remarkable considering the youngster was just 15 at the time, ineligible to play full-time in the WHL.

"Something like that really catches your eye," Hitmen coach Mike Williamson told The News this week, reflecting on the goal, which made the WHL's plays of the week... "He's got an incredible set of skills. His acceleration and his ability to go from almost a dead stop to full speed, and his change of gears is something you don't see in a lot of players."

Virtanen, who notched three goals and an assist in nine regular season games with the Hitmen last season, is perhaps the most promising 16-year-old hockey prospect Abbotsford has ever produced, befitting his status as the first overall pick in the 2011 WHL bantam draft .

A headline in the Calgary Herald last week - "Super rookie Virtanen embarks on full-time WHL duty" - captured the level of expectation he's facing this fall.

...

Virtanen virtually there; NHL bound: WHL coach calls Abbotsford product 'pretty special'
Ewen, Steve. The Province [Vancouver, B.C] 24 Oct 2013: A.48.

...

He's already a 6-foot-1, 210-pound powerhouse. He can steamroll opponents or he can make them look like they're skating in mush.

There were people at the Coliseum Wednesday talking about the end-to-end goal the he scored against the Giants as a 15-year-old call-up, and that was Jan. 4, 2012.

Calgary coach Mike Williamson insists that he hasn't seen a player in the WHL with Virtanen's physical attributes at such a young age, and Williamson started out coaching in the league as a Portland Winterhawk assistant in 1995-96 after winding up his Portland playing career.

Williamson had Braydon Coburn when he was a man-child defenceman with the Winterhawks and that situation may be somewhat comparable. Coburn, 28, was the eighth overall pick of the 2003 NHL draft, and has played over 500 NHL games to date.

"Jake's speed and his strength on his skates and how he shoots the puck ... you don't see 16-, 17-yearold players capable of doing that," he said. "He's an extremely dynamic player. He has a lot to learn about the game, like a lot of guys that age have to, but his pure physical skill is pretty special."

...

Local draft prospects excite; Reinhart, Virtanen among standouts in deep draft class
Botchford, Jason. The Province [Vancouver, B.C] 01 June 2014: A.53.

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Virtanen, who is from Abbotsford and scored 45 goals with the Calgary Hitmen this season, showed up for his interviews in a shoulder sling.

He had shoulder surgery 10 days ago and his recovery is expected to take four to six months.

Many assumed this would impact his draft slot, long believed to be in the six to 10 range of the first round.

But that hasn't happened.

In fact, the idea that Brian Burke and the Calgary Flames are considering taking him at the No. 4 spot is gaining traction.

That would be going off the board a little bit for the Flames, but if there's one team executive expected to do something odd in the top four it's Burke.

...

[Winter Soldier]

Great post, but I'm afraid it's gonna fall on deaf ears. People deluded themselves into thinking that Ehlers is a surefire thing and the only way to assuage butthurt is to tear JV apart endlessly. Keep in mind, this is coming from someone who believes Ehlers is skilled as hell, but not free of risk himself.

[Amish Rake Fighter]

Virtanen plays like Cam Neely but he's a better skater, heavy shot with a quick release too

I'm pretty happy with the pick

[BabychStache]

Dat backhand!!!

I'll be honest I haven't seen him play, but seeing his highlights gets me pretty excited. Him and Shinkaruk can overwhelm with speed and precision shooting. I wish we had a smart, responsible 2 way center to play with them.... Oh wait, we have 3!

His shot is lethal and he can run through guys. Hopefully he can translate that over. Reminds me of Dustin Brown with a better shot.

With him only being 17, I fully expect him to light up the WJC this year. Then this board will erupt.

[Winter Soldier]

-snip-

Agree! I don't want to sound like I have it out for Ehlers by any stretch of the imagination. It's more CDC's collective inability to decide on what they want and the subsequent mudslinging that I find grating.

[Coconuts]

I'm happy with the pick. The crazy part is how young he is, he's still got lots of room to grow and improve. He could be a real stud for us down the road.

[Henrik Kesler]

At first I was a bit upset about the pick because there were 'better' picks available at 6, but I'm starting to come around on it. What did the Canucks lack last year? Wingers with speed who were one shot scorers. What did they get in Virtanen? A winger with blazing speed who's a one shot scorer...and he's 6' 1" 210 at barely 18 years old. I'm usually not big on intangibles, but with Virtanen it's hard not to see why the Canucks were salivating.

[Russ]

Great post, but I'm afraid it's gonna fall on deaf ears. People deluded themselves into thinking that Ehlers is a surefire thing and the only way to assuage butthurt is to tear JV apart endlessly. Keep in mind, this is coming from someone who believes Ehlers is skilled as hell, but not free of risk himself.

If Ehlers was such a surefire thing why didn't he go higher than? He dropped to 9th so I don't know why people think he was better than JV when a bunch of guys who scout and do this for a full time living didnt think so.

[Winter Soldier]

If Ehlers was such a surefire thing why didn't he go higher than? He dropped to 9th so I don't know why people think he was better than JV when a bunch of guys who scout and do this for a full time living didnt think so.

Preaching to the choir, chum!

[Standing_Tall#37]

Great post, but I'm afraid it's gonna fall on deaf ears. People deluded themselves into thinking that Ehlers is a surefire thing and the only way to assuage butthurt is to tear JV apart endlessly. Keep in mind, this is coming from someone who believes Ehlers is skilled as hell, but not free of risk himself.

I think Ehlers Is Danish for "bust" . Cuz that's what I guarantee he does at the nhl level.

[Brick Tamland]

If he wasn't injured and scored 10 more goals and hit guys more because of his shoulder he could have easily been first overall and been compared to Lindros.

If he stays healthy, he and Demko could be home runs.

[Jiggs50]

I think Ehlers Is Danish for "bust" . Cuz that's what I guarantee he does at the nhl level.

Yeah playing with Drouin and Schiefle in the future is going to be terrible for his development...

Don't hate on prospects just cause their not ours. Virtanen and Ehlers will be solid top 6 players in the nhl for years to come.

[stawns]

Dat backhand!!!

I'll be honest I haven't seen him play, but seeing his highlights gets me pretty excited. Him and Shinkaruk can overwhelm with speed and precision shooting. I wish we had a smart, responsible 2 way center to play with them.... Oh wait, we have 3!

His shot is lethal and he can run through guys. Hopefully he can translate that over. Reminds me of Dustin Brown with a better shot.

With him only being 17, I fully expect him to light up the WJC this year. Then this board will erupt.

actually, the have 6

Horvat

gaunce

McCaan

Ley

Schroeder

Cassels

[spliced]

Watching that video he reminds me a bit of Cory Perry in his body movements, kind of a nonchalant style.

From what I've heard the only issue I have with him is his injury, everything else has been positive. I'm not sure what the knocks against him are.

[6YPE]

Great post, but I'm afraid it's gonna fall on deaf ears. People deluded themselves into thinking that Ehlers is a surefire thing and the only way to SAUSAGE butthurt is to tear JV apart endlessly. Keep in mind, this is coming from someone who believes Ehlers is skilled as hell, but not free of risk himself.

There, I fixed it for you.

[6YPE]

Anybody else notice at about 2:00 of the highlight video JV fist bumped every player on the other teams bench LOL!

I missed it cause it went by so fast it didnt even register.... I went back and looked, beautiful!

[DeltaSwede]

I have to say its the first time I have seen a thread on here with a "Works Cited" to finish the post, I dig it.

Jake will be a fantastic Canuck and I am very excited to see what will happen next. Couldn't help but to want the Canucks to draft him when it came to it and they did. Hopefully things work out for him and the added pressure of being the home town kid doesn't keep him from developing into a top 6 winger.

[DeltaSwede]

Watching that video he reminds me a bit of Cory Perry in his body movements, kind of a nonchalant style.

From what I've heard the only issue I have with him is his injury, everything else has been positive. I'm not sure what the knocks against him are.

Well one knock is not his injury.

Has been known to have "tunnel-vision" meaning he only focuses on the net and shooting rather than passing to a teammate that might be in a better position. I personally don't find this an issue so to speak, his game will mature over time and the Canucks have lacked a real sniper for years.

[sonoman]

Amazed most of the defenders laying the body on him, just bounce off or end up on their butts

[newgm]

No such thing as a sure thing, but I'm confident that Benning knows every detail about Jake and that this is a solid low risk pick.

Jake seems to excel in every category with the singular criticism that he hasn't yet demonstrated a natural playmaking ability.

Well neither had kesler, and few ever complained about Kesler playing center when it's always been apparent that he was never going to be a playmaker and had a skill set better suited to play right wing, as he did his entire college career.

Certain players are better scorers than playmakers and we're drafting this kid as a left winger not a center, so I don't see why some people complain about his assists total when he's only 17 and has lots of time to work on developing his game.

Worst case scenario you've got a Rocket Richard/Brett Hull type of player with a mean streak that drives to the net and scores goals from locations that most prospects in this draft would avoid.

He has great potential, so let's hope for the teams sake he realizes that potential.