Abbotsford’s Jake Virtanen has been suspended by the Western Hockey League for three games for a hit he delivered during the Eastern Conference championship series-opener against the Brandon Wheat Kings on Friday.
In the third period of Game 1 on Friday, Virtanen received a two-minute penalty for charging after dropping Wheat Kings forward Tanner Kaspick with a hit at centre ice.
Calgary lost the game 9-4. Virtanen was forced to sit out Game 2 of the series – won by the Wheat Kings 3-2 in overtime – as the WHL determined the length of his suspension.
The WHL announced the three-game suspension on Monday. Virtanen, selected sixth overall by the Vancouver Canucks in the first round of last year’s NHL entry draft, has five goals and eight assists in 13 playoff games.