As we wrap up the missed chances/opportunities week at The Canuck Way and Fansided NHL, we've taken a look at the 2003, 2006, and 2009 NHL Drafts. The Vancouver Canucks missed out on David Backes, Claude Giroux, and Ryan O'Reilly.
In the fourth installment of the series, we will now change our focus to the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. The 2014 Draft saw Aaron Ekblad go first overall to the Florida Panthers and Leon Draisaitl go second overall to the Edmonton Oilers. Regarding the Canucks, they held the sixth overall pick and selected forward Jake Virtanen from the Calgary Hitmen.
The player they missed out on? Danish forward Nikolaj Ehlers from the Halifax Mooseheads, who was drafted ninth overall by the Winnipeg Jets.
Virtanen's NHL journey with the Canucks
When it came to his draft year, Virtanen finished with 45 goals and 71 points in 71 games in the Western Hockey League (WHL) for the Hitmen. In the playoffs, he had one goal and four points in six games. On paper, that's an excellent season for Virtanen. It makes sense for him to be drafted inside the top 10 of the draft.
Virtanen followed up his draft year by finishing with 21 goals and 52 points in 50 games in his last season of the WHL. He even had five goals and 13 points in 14 playoff games. His first season in the NHL with the Canucks came in 2015-16, when he finished with seven goals and 13 points in 55 games.
In the 2016-17 season, Virtanen spent most of the season with the Utica Comets of the American Hockey League (AHL), tallying nine goals and 19 points in 65 games. To be fair to Virtanen, he was 19 during the 2015-16 season, so it made sense to see him play in the AHL to help develop his game.
However, he would be in Europe by the 2021-22 season with Spartak Moskva of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Over his six-year NHL career, all with the Canucks, he had 55 goals and 100 points in 317 games. His best season came in 2019-20 when he finished with 18 goals and 36 points in 69 games.
Overall, Virtanen looked like a great winger coming out of the WHL in the 2014 NHL Draft, but never found proper footing with the Canucks, or the NHL for that matter. He is set to play his second season with HK Dukla Michalovce in Slovakia after having 30 goals and 55 points in 53 games during the 2025-26 season.
Missing out on Nikolaj Ehlers
While Virtanen had 71 points in 71 games for the Hitmen in the WHL, Ehlers had 49 goals and 104 points in 63 games. Granted, the Quebec Maritime Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) is known for having high point totals; there's no denying 104 points in 63 games is phenomenal. Furthermore, he even had a plus-65 that season. Ehlers followed up that regular season with 11 goals and 28 points in 16 playoff games.
In his final season with the Mooseheads in 2014-15, Ehlers had 37 goals and 100 points in 51 games, with a plus-26. In the playoffs, he had a casual 10 goals and 31 points in 14 games. In 114 regular-season games, Ehlers had 204 points in juniors.
During Ehlers' first season with the Jets in 2015-16, he had 15 goals and 38 points. He followed that up with nine more seasons in Winnipeg, finishing with 225 goals and 520 points in 674 games. After playing 10 years with the Jets, he signed a six-year deal on July 3, 2025, with the Carolina Hurricanes. Ehlers went on to have 71 points in 82 games and win his first-ever Stanley Cup in 2025-26.
Looking back on the 2015-16 Canucks, they finished with a 31-18-3 record (75 points) and were sixth in the Pacific Division. Regarding wingers that season, Daniel Sedin had 28 goals and 61 points in 82 games. Jannik Hansen had 22 goals and 38 points in 67 games. Sven Baertschi had 28 points, and Radim Vrbata had 27. Ehlers would have been tied for fourth in scoring that season for the Canucks with Hansen.
Virtanen was 15th in scoring that season with 13 points in 55 games. Both Virtanen and Ehlers were 19 in their rookie seasons in 2015-16. When it comes down to it, both guys had solid seasons in their draft year. While the WHL and QMJHL play differently and are even scouted differently from team perspectives, it was clear that Ehlers was the guy to select at sixth overall.
Now heading into the 2026-27 season, Ehlers will be entering his 12th NHL season and second with the Hurricanes. Virtanen will be heading into his second season in Slovakia.
Add us as a preferred source on Google