Jake Virtanen is one of five returning players vying for a spot on Canada’s world junior team.
But whether or not he’s available at Christmastime is up to him — and, ultimately, the Vancouver Canucks.
The Calgary Hitmen forward who captured gold at the IIHF world junior championships in 2015 is eligible and has a legitimate shot of cracking the 2015-16 Canucks roster and, should that happen, the National Hockey League club would have to make a decision to loan Virtanen out.
It’s a nice predicament for Virtanen. However, plenty of pieces have to fall into place first.