Abbotsford hockey prospect Jake Virtanen will soon be going for gold in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Virtanen is one of 22 players named to Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team and will chase Canada’s sixth consecutive gold medal at the Memorial of Ivan Hlinka tournament.
The Ivan Hlinka Tournament runs Aug. 5-10 in Piestany, Slovakia and Breclav, Czech Republic and is a prestigious under-18 international event.
Virtanen, a 6’1”, 190-pound left winger, notched 16 goals and 18 assists in 62 games with the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen in 2012-13, his first full season of junior hockey. He was the first overall selection in the WHL bantam draft in 2011.
Virtanen was one of 42 players that were invited to Canada’s U-18 selection camp in Toronto.