Abbotsford鈥檚 Jake Virtanen and EHC Visp of the Swiss League have qualified for the playoffs.
The former Vancouver Canucks first-round draft pick and his team finished fourth in league standings and finished the regular season with a record of 24-18-1-2.
It鈥檚 the club鈥檚 best regular season result since 2019-20. EHC Visp concluded the season with a 5-1 win over EHC Olsten on Sunday (Feb. 5).
Virtanen recorded 25 points (15 goals and 10 assists) to go with 44 penalty minutes in 21 games. He ranked third on the team in goals and sixth in points.
Visp EHC now takes on the fifth-ranked HC Thurgau in an opening round best-of-seven series starting on Feb. 14.
Virtanen signed a two-year contract with the club on Nov. 6.
He also inked a professional tryout with the Edmonton Oilers in September, but he failed to earn a spot on that team. He appeared in six preseason games with the Oilers and collected two assists to go along with six shots on goal. His final appearance with the team was when the Oilers played the Canucks in Abbotsford on Oct. 5.
In 2021-22 he played 36 games in the Kontinental Hockey League with HC Spartak Moscow and recorded 16 points.
Virtanen went to trial this summer after being charged with sexual assault and was found not guilty of sexual assault on July 26.
