#4 - Jake Virtanen - Calgary Hitmen - LW - R - 6'1 - 210
Virtanen is the top "power forward" that the WHL has to offer for the 2014 NHL Draft. He's got good size, is a powerful skater, can play physical and has one of the best shots in the draft. He's got a heavy shot, it's accurate and he has a great release. He's a former 1st overall pick in the Bantam Draft by the Hitmen and has developed nicely since that time. But, he doesn't come with a few flaws. I've noticed some major consistency issues in his game over the last few seasons. He can go through stretches of games where he is easily the best player on the ice and also go through stretches where he goes completely off the radar. His willingness to engage physically has also been a noted area of inconsistency for me. His overall compete and character would be an area that I would point to when justifying my ranking of him, which is somewhat lower than where some others would have him. But, when he wants to he can dominate, and that type of skillset will surely attract many NHL teams. He scored 45 goals this season for Calgary while also being a complete standout at the Under-18's for Canada this spring. He battled through injury late in the year before going under the knife to fix a shoulder problem. That issue will be weighed by NHL clubs come draft time, but likely won't hurt his stock too much.
NHL Style Comparison: Right-handed Evander Kane
Top End NHL Potential: First line winger, top 15 NHL goal scoring candidate each season
Pick Prediction: 6-10 overall
