RELEASE: Oilers sign Demers, Virtanen to PTOs

EDMONTON, AB – The Oilers have signed defenceman Jason Demers and forward Jake Virtanen to professional tryout agreements (PTOs).

Demers last appeared in an NHL uniform as a member of the Arizona Coyotes, with whom he spent four seasons (2017-18 to 2020-21) recording eight goals and 35 assists over 195 games.

This past year, the 34-year-old blueliner spent time with the KHL’s Ak Bars Kazan and represented Canada at the Winter Olympics, appearing in five games and notching a pair of assists.

The Laval, Que., native was originally a seventh-round selection of the San Jose Sharks (186th overall) in the 2008 NHL Draft. He appeared in 361 games with San Jose over parts of five seasons before getting traded to the Dallas Stars in 2014.

Following a pair of seasons with the Stars, with whom he recorded 12 goals and 45 points in 123 games, he spent one season with the Florida Panthers, tallying nine goals and 28 points in 81 games before moving on to Arizona.

Over the span of 12 NHL seasons and 699 games, Demers has tallied 45 goals, 169 assists, 407 penalty minutes, 861 hits, 771 blocked shots and a plus/minus rating of +31 while averaging 19:10 TOI per game.

Virtanen, 26, appeared in 36 games for the KHL’s Spartak Moscow last season, collecting nine goals and seven assists for 16 points along with 24 penalty minutes.

Selected by the Vancouver Canucks in the first round of the 2014 NHL Draft (sixth overall), the six-foot, 210-pound right-winger has played 317 games over six NHL seasons, recording 55 goals and 45 assists along with 219 penalty minutes.