Former Canucks forward Jake Virtanen charged with sexual assault

The Vancouver Police Department charged former NHL forward Jake Virtanen with one count of sexual assault stemming from an incident in 2017 while he was playing for the Vancouver Canucks. Virtanen, 25, is currently playing for Spartak in the KHL.

In May of last year, the Canucks placed Virtanen on leave following the original allegations. In July, they bought out the final year of his contract, making him an unrestricted free agent. The team will carry a $500K cap hit next season as a result of the buyout after carrying $50K this season.

A civil lawsuit was filed in May 2021. In response, Virtanen denied the allegations. At the time of the initial allegations, the Canucks released the following statement:

We have become aware of the concerning allegations made about Jake Virtanen. Our organization does not accept sexual misconduct of any kind and the claims as reported are being treated very seriously by us. 

We have engaged external expertise to assist in an independent investigation and we have placed the player on leave as we await more information.

Virtanen is not currently in custody.