Virtanen needs to be guy other teams can’t stand
Power forward should use new bridge contract as motivation to take next step
He doesn’t have to be anything more than his best. And I don’t think we’ve seen it yet and I’m anxious for us to get to that point.
Next game
Wednesday, Calgary Flames vs. Vancouver Canucks, Rogers Arena, SNP, SNP 650
On any shift in any game, Jake Virtanen will do one or more of the following:
Use a deceptive long and powerful stride to wheel around a defender.
Use a thick torso to deliver a heavy bodycheck to an unsuspecting foe.
Use an underrated release to beat a goalie from distance, deke or wraparound.
Forget the above, lead the team in giveaways and drive the coach crazy.
“The thing with Jake is he’s effective on any line,” said Vancouver Canucks coach Travis Green.
“He helped the checking line at times last year and can bring energy to the fourth line.
“Has he shown that he’s a topsix guy yet? Probably not. And that would be the next step, the next evolution in his game. He doesn’t have to be anything more than his best. And I don’t think we’ve seen it yet and I’m anxious for us to get to that point.”
So is Virtanen.
Simply stated, this is “go time.” A two-year, US$2.5-million bridge contract extension on July 25 should be motivation rather than security for the 22-year-old New Westminster native and Abbotsford-raised hockey product.
He’s a better player than he was a year ago — especially in decisionmaking with and without the puck — but for Virtanen it’s never really been about the tools.
It’s been about the tool box. Like his peers, Virtanen had a polarizing pre-season. He went pointless in five games, yet teased with a three-shot game and a sixhit outing. Is there more than the 20 points (10-10) he notched in 75 games last season? There had better be because the organization has given the sixth-overall pick in the 2014 draft more than enough rope to finally find his way.
Last season, Virtanen led the club in take-aways with 51, but his 32 giveaways were only exceeded upfront by Daniel Sedin with 37. He also led forwards in hits (156) and was fifth in shots (130). But his 7.7 shooting percentage was thirdlowest behind Henrik Sedin (4.5) and Sam Gagner (6.1).
Virtanen also played on the fourth line and second line, and eventually got power-play time. He was even paired with Brandon Sutter in a shutdown role against top lines.
“I have to be able to play that 200-foot game, score and be a guy where teams hate me at the end of the night,” said Virtanen. “I’m smarter in the game. I used to run around a lot and I’m definitely a lot more patient with the puck. I make plays and feel like I hold on to the puck and protect it more.
“That was something that was really big for me. With my body and size, I can protect pucks and use my speed a lot. It’s getting on the forecheck, it’s getting chances and I’m getting the second chances.”
As the goal-starved Canucks limp into their regular-season opener Wednesday against the Calgary Flames amid more roster questions than answers, they’re trying to spin a poor 1-6 pre-season record as trivial. Win Game 1 and nobody will be talking about just five exhibition goals at evenstrength and 10 overall.
To change the conversation, they need more than shot attempts. They need finish, and that won’t be easily manufactured after placing 26th in goals per game last season and 29th at even-strength. Anything anybody can bring to the table will be vital — and that makes Virtanen intriguing.
With speed and that big butt, a guy who had his way in the WHL and became a better pro in the AHL, he should be a pain to play against in the NHL.
“When I was in The Dub ( WHL), I hit a lot of big guys that people didn’t expect and that got around the league pretty quick,” Virtanen said. “A lot more guys gave me my space coming down the wing. And I love using my speed around D -men. That’s big for me.
“With the way I skate with long powerful strides — even though they’re not super-quick — it throws the D -man off because he thinks I’m going slower than I actually am. It’s a little tricky to stop.”
In a perfect world, Virtanen will evolve into the top-six power forward general manager Jim Benning envisioned when he passed on David Pastrnak and Dylan Larkin to select Virtanen sixth overall.
“I definitely want to be that guy, but I’ve got to earn it,” Virtanen said. “I have to show that I can score, but Travis also wants us to play better defensively to have less goals against.”
If anything, a bottom-six existence with the Canucks has been the best development curve for Virtanen. On Saturday in Kelowna, he was on a grinding line with Gagner and Tim Schaller.
Where he’ll be weeks or months from now is up to him.
The key is awareness in all three zones.
“There are a lot of young guys who struggle with consistency,” Green said. “It’s learning the league and learning what they have to do to have individual success.”