Vancouver Canucks: Jake Virtanen has finally arrived

Vancouver Canucks fans waited. And waited. And waited. Finally, we’re seeing 2014 first-round pick Jake Virtanen put it all together, and he looks poised for a breakout year once and for all.

The Vancouver Canucks are off to a surprising 8-6-0 start, and 2014 first-round pick Jake Virtanen has been key in their early success.

Virtanen scored twice against the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday, pacing Vancouver to a 4-2 victory. He’s now up to five goals and seven points through his first 14 games — easily on pace to surpass the career-best 10 goals and 20 points from last season.

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This is what the coaches and fans had been waiting for. It’s safe to say that the player this team envisioned when they drafted him sixth overall in 2014 has finally arrived.

The 22-year-old was supposed to be the team’s next big-time goal-scorer, but there were some times when it looked like he would never put it all together.

Virtanen played 55 games in 2015-16 but managed a mere seven goals and 13 points. He was in the doghouse of former head coach Willie Desjardins and played just 10 games in 2016-17, spending the bulk of the campaign for the Utica Comets.

The hope was that Virtanen would come around when Travis Green was hired as the new head coach last year. After all, Green worked well with him in Utica and seemed to understand Virtanen best.

Last season didn’t mark the scoring outburst that some had hoped for, but Virtanen showed plenty of flashes with his game-changing speed and excellent shot release. The mere 20 points did not tell the entire story.

But Virtanen is making the most of his skills we’re seeing this kid play with more confidence than ever before. That’s why the goals are coming for No. 18 now. He’s not afraid to unleash that shot from anywhere, he’s chasing down pucks to create chances and will never back down from throwing out the big hits.

Don’t think this is an “early season overreaction”. Virtanen is already on space to reach the 20-goal mark, which is all the Canucks and their fans really want from him at this point. With Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser emerging as the next two franchise superstars, expectations have fallen a bit on Virtanen. He does not need to be a 30-40 goal guy.

And that’s okay. Virtanen had a long journey to fight his way back into the NHL and earn the ice time from his coaches. This is already the best we’ve ever seen him play, and there’s no reason to believe he won’t be a key part of the long-term success here.

Finally, Jake Virtanen has arrived. And he’s here to stay for the long run.