Ex-Canuck Jake Virtanen signs with second-tier Swiss team

Oh how the mighty have fallen.

After failing to catch on with the Edmonton Oilers this season, Jake Virtanen has settled for a contract with a second-tier pro team in Switzerland. Virtanen signed a two-year deal today with EHC Visp of the Swiss League, which is a tier below Switzerland’s National League.

A former first-round draft pick, Virtanen was a sixth overall selection by the Vancouver Canucks in 2014. But after 317 career games with his hometown team, it’s quite possible that the Abbotsford product may have already played his last NHL game.

The 26-year-old hasn’t played an NHL regular season game since the Canucks put him on leave on May 1, 2021, after sexual misconduct allegations became public. Virtanen was charged with sexual assault in January, and found not guilty in July.

On the ice, Virtanen has struggled mightily since the 2019-20 regular season, which saw him score career-highs in goals (18), assists (18), and points (36) for the Canucks.

Virtanen had just three points (2-1-3) in 16 playoff games in 2020, and posted five goals and no assists in 38 games during a disappointing 2020-21 season.

Virtanen spent last season in Russia, scoring 16 points (9-7-16) in 36 games with Moscow Spartak of the KHL. Like many North American players in the KHL, Virtanen fled Russia after the start of the war in Ukraine, which resulted in his contract getting terminated.

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