I guess I'll start by reminding everyone of how Desjardins didn't even entertain the thought of Horvat making the team for the simple reason of him being a teenager. It's his mature, defense-first, faceoff-strong, penalty-killing, and, quite simply, safe game that made Willie decide to keep him. Virtanen is a hell of a player but he is not nearly as mature as Horvat (few kids are), needs some work on defense, and isn't a faceoff specialist or penalty killer. Ask yourself, first of all, if Desjardins would put this player in the lineup. I highly doubt it. Virtanen is still a very raw prospect and he is far from having a complete game. He shouldn't make the NHL simply because he's faster than some other player and has good size. There's more to the NHL than that. I truly believe that another season in the WHL, with a proper offseason of training, is what he needs.
I would love to see him as soon as possible, but I don't think next season is that year. Not unless his development takes a massive (and I mean massive) step forward post-World Juniors.