Abbotsford hockey prospect Jake Virtanen has been invited to Hockey Canada’s selection camp for the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament.
The Hlinka tourney – which runs Aug. 5-10 in Piestany, Slovakia and Breclav, Czech Republic – is a prestigious under-18 international event, and Team Canada has won gold each of the past five years.
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 invited to the U18 selection camp in Toronto, which opens on Thursday. The final roster will feature 22 players.
Earlier this month, the 16-year-old was one of 14 WHLers on NHL Central Scouting’s North American futures list for the 2014 NHL entry draft.
