The Vancouver Canucks placed Jake Virtanen on leave following word of sexual misconduct allegations. The allegations were first reported by Alanna Kelly of Glacier Media.
Kelly agreed not to reveal the identity of Virtanen’s accuser, who alleged that the incident happened in September 2017 at a Vancouver hotel.
“I couldn’t believe that I said no and he didn’t take that for an answer,” Virtanen’s accuser said, via Kelly. “I felt violated and gross and wanted to leave.”
In their statement, the Canucks noted that they have “engaged external expertise to assist in the independent investigation.”
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) May 1, 2021
Kelly notes that Virtanen, 24, declined to comment regarding the sexual misconduct allegations. Bill Daly of the NHL shared this statement with Kelly:
“We are aware of this issue and have been in contact with the club regarding appropriate response,” says Daly. “We don’t have any further comment at this time.”