Hitmen’s Virtanen is a fan favourite in Calgary — for now
CALGARY — Fans at the Scotiabank Saddledome have got used to cheering for Abbotsford-raised Jake Virtanen.
As soon as next season, that may not be the case.
Virtanen finds himself in the unique position of playing for the Western Hockey League’s Calgary Hitmen, while also being a highly touted prospect of the Vancouver Canucks.
While the Hitmen prepare to face the Brandon Wheat Kings in the WHL Eastern Conference Final, the Canucks are in the midst of an intense first-round NHL playoff battle against the Calgary Flames.
Since the Hitmen finished their second-round series against the Medicine Hat Tigers in five games with a 4-3 overtime win at home last Friday, Virtanen had a bit of extra time on his hands and he used it to take in Game 3 between the Canucks and Flames at the Saddledome on Sunday.
“Obviously the atmosphere in here was unbelievable,” said Virtanen, whom the Canucks selected sixth overall in the 2014 NHL entry draft. “Both teams were good. Obviously, I’ve seen Sam Bennett play. He’s one of my buddies. I guess we’re kind of rivals, too. He’s a good guy.”
That good guy was chosen just two picks ahead of Virtanen last June by the Flames.
It’s safe to say that Virtanen and Bennett have mutual respect for each other, considering that they’ve faced similar challenges.
While Virtanen had surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder, Bennett had the same procedure done to his left shoulder in October.
The pair of 18-year-old prospects — Bennett turns 19 on June 20, while Virtanen will celebrate his 19th birthday on Aug. 18 — also took part in their first NHL training camps with their respective teams last fall before having to sit out the start of their seasons because of their injuries. Virtanen returned to the Hitmen lineup in late October and put up nine goals and 14 assists in his first 20 games before going on to help Canada win gold at the 2015 world junior hockey championship.
“It’s awesome,” said Virtanen of experiencing success with both the Canadian junior squad and with the Hitmen in the playoffs. “Not many people get this experience. It’s a huge opportunity for me. ”
After finishing the regular season with 21 goals and 31 assists in 52 games, Virtanen has scored four times and set up eight others in 12 playoffs contests so far.
As a Canucks prospect, Virtanen would love to see Vancouver rally back to beat Calgary, although he’s not being too vocal about his preference in the Hitmen locker-room.
“I’m probably going to try to stay on the down low for this series,” Virtanen said.