Benning: Virtanen's demotion 'about development'

The Vancouver Canucks sent youngster Jake Virtanen to the minors Wednesday, a move designed to give the 20-year-old winger some ice time after he was a scratch for the club's past two games.

The move is only temporary, however, reports Ben Kuzma of The Province, as Virtanen will play two games in Utica before returning.

"This is about development," Canucks general manager Jim Benning told Kuzma. "It’s about giving Jake ice time and getting his confidence up like we did with (Troy) Stecher. Sometimes, our marketplace looks down on us when we send a player down because we’re not happy with him. That’s not the case. He’ll get games and hopefully take off from there."

Virtanen has struggled this season, notching only one point in 10 contests, but in fairness, Vancouver as a whole has struggled just as much. The Canucks snapped a nine-game losing streak Tuesday, and rank 27th in the league in goals for with 27.

Vancouver drafted Virtanen sixth overall in 2014, in hopes his size and scoring touch will translate into the pro game.

While the Canucks remain patient, head coach Willie Desjardins needs maximum effort from Virtanen, night in and night out, to award him a permanent roster spot.

"It’s not that I don’t think Jake is a good player and a spot you look for him is top nine or top six, but he’s not consistent enough and until he gives you that, he can’t play," Desjardins said. "We have to get to that spot because he does stuff that’s unique.

"For us, it’s how can we get him to go where we need him to go to? Because we need him to get there."