By cocky, I'm not talking about on the ice and being able to get in the opponents gruff, I'm talking about a rotten core here, man. The kid, from what I've heard has a head the size of Texas and an ego that could ruin his career. Some think that's an age thing. I prefer to look at it from a different angle. I don't like the "age excuse". There is plenty of talent available at #6 who already at such a "tender" age has exhibited maturity.
Assuming you know anything about the game, humility, leadership and control translate into on-ice success. Never did I say he "won't" grow up. Never did I say his edge couldn't come in handy. I love gritty guys like Lapierre. But there's a difference between a person's cockiness and a hockey player's cockiness. Virtanen has a reputation for being cocky as a human being, off the ice and outside of hockey.
I feel like going forward, with this good of a pick, there are better options. If Virtanen was top three material, despite the attitude, I'd say take him at #6 because of the substantial drop. But as it stands now, he's rounding out the top ten. To take a guy like Jake Virtanen at #6 is a huge, huge risk just because the cons outweigh the pros.
If I were GM, I'd take the best possible player available. A lot of people disagree because they reference the current squad. When these kids make the team, who knows what the lineup will look like? You can't go wrong with taking the best player available. He becomes a tradable asset with superior value, and you can build a long term contender around him.