European team makes announcement on former Canuck Jake Virtanen

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Cooper Godin
May 2, 2024 (2:20 PM)

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Former Vancouver Canucks first round pick Jake Virtanen returned to Europe for a third season in 2023-24 after an unsuccessful professional tryout contract with the Edmonton Oilers. But it appears that he'll now be looking for a new home for the 2024-25 campaign.

In a post on their team website this week, the Fischtown Pinguins of the German DEL announced that they have decided not to sign Jake Virtanen for the 2024-25 season, making him an unrestricted free agent.

Note: the following quote was translated from German.

"In addition to the coach's departure, some players will also leave the team. Defenders Lukas Kälble, Blaz Gregorc, Gregory Kreutzer and Philip Preto will forge new paths after wearing the Penguins jersey. Their commitment and passion will leave a gap in the team that needs to be filled. There are also changes up front as Jake Virtanen and Skyler McKenzie take on new challenges that take them away from the Fischtown Pinguins."

It's unclear what Virtanen's plans are now after enjoying a long playoff run with Fischtown, who eventually lost in the DEL Finals to Eisbaren Berlin. Fischtown also finished the regular season in first place, so overall, it was a very successful season for the Northern German team.

In 36 games this season, Virtanen had 21 points (six goals, 15 assists), 27 penalty minutes and was a plus-six. He also appeared in two games during the playoffs, but didn't record any points.

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Source - Fischtown Pinguins: The Pinguins' end-of-season celebration - a city celebrates its heroes