Vancouver Canucks: Jake Virtanen Returning to NHL the Right Decision

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Vancouver Canucks rookie Jake Virtanen will return to the NHL, not the WHL, after being eliminated at World Juniors.

Jake Virtanen is being criticized all over social media for “losing the quarter final game for Team Canada at the World Juniors.” How did he do that? Well, he got a late double-minor penalty and Finland scored the game winner on the resulting power play. But yet, he will return to the NHL Vancouver Canucks rather than the WHL Calgary Hitmen, according to Sportsnet’s John Shannon.

To get this out of the way right off the bat, Virtanen did not lose the game for Team Canada. Just drop it already. Canada won a tight game at home against a Finnish team that is the big favourite to win the tournament. Virtanen did take two bad penalties at an unfortunate time, but he is a teenager — those things happen.

It is now up to the Vancouver Canucks to keep his confidence up. The big question is: will his confidence be higher when he stays in the NHL playing 10 minutes a night or when he returns to juniors to be a leader on one of Canada’s best junior teams? Jim Benning seems to think it is the latter.

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For the Canucks, Virtanen has a goal and four points in 19 games. For the AHL Utica Comets, he had no points in two games. At the World Juniors, he had one assist in five games. For a power forward like Virtanen, that is highly unsatisfying. It seemed obvious that it is hard to adjust to the pro game, especially in the NHL — but after going scoreless in a junior tournament as well, it looks more and more like a confidence issue.

Let’s look at it from Virtanen’s perspective. He probably knows best that he messed up in that game against Finland. What would you think if your GM called you right after that game to tell you you have been demoted to the WHL again? Getting bad news right after having one of the worst experiences of your career would probably have a rather negative effect on your confidence.

Instead, Virtanen will return to the NHL knowing that he is good enough to play in the best league in the world. He will be in a most professional environment, surrounded by veterans who have all gone through experiences like his. Nobody goes through 10 or more seasons in the NHL without screwing up a few times. Captains Henrik and Daniel Sedin and the Canucks’ other veterans know how to help Virtanen through this.

Next: Jake Virtanen: More Valuable than You'd Think

That said, Virtanen was a valuable player for the Canucks before he left for Finland and he will likely continue to be just that once he returns. There is no easy way to get through rough patches, but trust is all Virtanen needs right now. Get back out there and prove that you deserve to be in the NHL. Simple as that.