Jake Virtanen has been released from his tryout with Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers have parted ways with Jake Virtanen.
Virtanen, who was invited to Oilers camp as a free agent, was released from his try-out on Thursday afternoon. He had zero goals, two assists, and six shots in six preseason games with Edmonton.
The #Oilers have released forward Jake Virtanen from his professional tryout agreement (PTO).
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) October 6, 2022
“I think for me to make this team, I’ve just got to find a way on any line,” Virtanen said at the start of camp. “Bottom-six is where I’m going to start. That’s where I’m going to have to really learn. I want to be a player there and I want to do everything and be a 200-foot player. You’ve just got to give your best effort every day and you’ve got to come in and work hard.”
The 26-year-old is a former first-round draft pick of the Vancouver Canucks.
Virtanen hasn’t played an NHL game since being placed on leave by the Canucks on May 1, 2021, after accusations of sexual misconduct first became public. The Canucks bought him out of the last year of his contract in the summer of 2021. He was charged with sexual assault, with a jury ruling him not guilty in July.
“Going through something like this, it was a very tough thing to go through for me and my family and my partner,” Virtanen said on September 19. “It was something that was very hard to go through. Going through something like that, you go through a lot of ups and downs and you learn a lot about yourself and who you are as a person.
“You do a lot of self-reflection on who you are. You know your self-worth. It was a long process, and I thought by the end of it I’m very happy and very grateful I did it the right way and the right process and I went through the whole thing properly and now I’m here and I’m very grateful for this opportunity.”
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