Jake Virtanen’s Western Hockey League season might be over, but the Abbotsford native and Vancouver Canucks first round draft pick won’t be putting away his skates quite yet.
Virtanen’s Calgary Hitmen were eliminated Friday from the WHL playoffs after losing in five games to the Brandon Wheat Kings.
But the 18-year-old Yale grad has been called up by the Canucks farm team, the Utica Comets, for their playoff run.
Because of his age, Virtanen was not eligible to join the Comets until his junior team was eliminated from the playoffs.
Virtanen notched 52 points in 50 games during the regular season and 13 points in 14 playoff games. Virtanen missed the first three games of the series with the Wheat Kings after being suspended.
He will be joined by fellow Canucks draft pick Jared McCann, who plays for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.