Oilers sign Jake Virtanen to tryout 2 months after not guilty verdict

The Edmonton Oilers have signed Jake Virtanen to a professional tryout agreement two months after the former Vancouver forward was found not guilty of sexual assault.

Virtanen was charged in January in connection with an incident in a downtown Vancouver hotel room in September 2017.

He was a right-winger for the Canucks when the allegations surfaced in May 2021. The team placed him on leave and bought out his contract the following month.

The case was heard in B.C. Supreme Court, and a jury returned a verdict of not guilty on July 26.

The 26-year-old from Abbotsford, B.C., appeared in 36 games for Spartak Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League last season, scoring nine goals and adding seven assists.

Selected by the Canucks sixth overall in the 2014 NHL draft, Virtanen has recorded 55 goals, 45 assists and 219 penalty minutes over six NHL seasons.