Canucks Select 6th

Playing close to home helps one know your local NHL franchise and watching them fail to make the play-offs in your draft year is a bonus.

Watching players such as Pavel Bure, Markus Naslund, Mark Messier and Mattais Ohlund was something everyone could only dream of, but in reality these are players he would later hear about.

2010-11

Jake Virtanen scored a goal and an assist in his only game with the Yale Secondary Lions high school team in British Columbia and played for the Abbotsford Hawks bantam team.

He was the first overall selection in the 2011 WHL Bantam Draft by the Calgary Hitmen.

2011-12

Virtanen made his WHL debut — skating in nine regular season games and four playoff contests with Calgary — and was the third leading scorer for the Fraser Valley Bruins in the B.C. midget major hockey league.

Vancouver Canucks General Manager Jim Benning announced today that the Canucks have selected left wing Jake Virtanen sixth overall in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.

Virtanen (17) collected 71 points (45-26-71) and 100 penalty minutes in 2013-14 with the Calgary Hitmen of the Western Hockey League. He finished fifth in the league in goals scored.

The Abbotsford, British Columbia native also spent the 2012.13 season with Calgary, earning 34 points (16-18-34) in 62 games and four points (3-1-4) in nine games in 2011.12.

He also won gold with Canada at the 2013 Ivan Hlinka Memorial and bronze at the 2014 Under-18 World Championship in Finland, tying for the team lead with six points (3-3-6) in seven games.

He served as a member of Team Pacific at the 2013 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, registering seven points (5-2-7) in five games.

2012-13

Virtanen skated in 62 games for Calgary as a 16-year-old in his first full WHL season and represented Canada Pacific in the 2013 U17 World Hockey Challenge

2013-14

Virtanen won a gold medal playing for Canada’s U18 team at the 2013 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament in August before returning to Calgary for his second WHL season.

Ranking for Virtanen

Complete power forward. Shoots the puck hard. Strong along the boards. Key asset is his great acceleration and speed.

Moves well laterally without gearing down. Relied upon in all situations. Capable physically.

Canucks also acquired right wing Derek Dorsett from the New York Rangers in exchange for Vancouver’s 85^th selection in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. Vancouver’s 85^th pick was acquired earlier today in a multi-player trade with Anaheim.