As a member of the Abbotsford Hawks at the bantam level in 2010–11, Virtanen scored 68 goals and 117 points in 59 games. As a 15-year-old, Virtanen spent most of the 2011–12 season in midget hockey with the Fraser Valley Bruins where he scored 39 points in 39 games and recorded 120 penalty minutes.
Junior
The Western Hockey League 's Calgary Hitmen selected Virtanen with the first overall pick at the 2011 WHL Bantam Draft. He appeared in nine games for the Hitmen during the 2011–12 season and was a regular for Calgary in 2012–13. Virtanen scored 16 goals and 34 points in 62 games and began to establish himself as a highly ranked prospect for the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. . Returning to Calgary for his second full junior season, Virtanen nearly tripled his goal scoring total from the previous season and finished with 45 on the year. He added 26 assists to finish with 71 points. The NHL Central Scouting Bureau ranked Virtanen as the ninth-best North American skater for the 2014 Draft at its midseason ranking and he played in the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game. Virtanen moved up three spots in NHL Central Scouting's year-end ranking and entered the Draft ranked sixth among North American skaters. The Hockey News projected Virtanen to be a "pure goal scorer" in the NHL and ranked him 11th overall in its draft preview. The magazine praised both his physical ability and the quality shot, but added that he is not known as a playmaker and that his "hockey sense" required development. He had shoulder surgery in May 2014 that was expected to sideline him until December 2014.
Professional
Virtanen was selected 6th overall in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft by the Vancouver Canucks. He was the first British Columbia born player selected in the first round by the Canucks since Cam Neely in 1983. On July 25, 2014, Virtanen announced he had signed an entry-level contract with the Canucks. On May 5, 2015, Virtanen was assigned from Vancouver to the Canucks' American Hockey League affiliate, the Utica Comets. On May 18, Game 6 of the 2015 Calder Cup playoffs' Western Conference Semifinals, Virtanen made his professional debut. He recorded two shots on goal in that game, in a 2–1 loss to the Oklahoma City Barons. On May 28, against the Grand Rapids Griffins in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals, Virtanen earned his first professional point through an assist on a Sven Bärtschi goal. On December 2, 2016, Virtanen scored his first professional goal with the Comets, the game's winner. On October 5, 2015, Virtanen was named to the Canucks' roster for the start of the 2015–16 season. He made his NHL debut on October 13 in a 3–0 win over the Los Angeles Kings. He earned his first NHL point on a Derek Dorsett goal in a 5–1 win against the Montreal Canadiens. On November 1, 2015, it was announced Virtanen and fellow rookie Jared McCann had made the Canucks' team past their nine-game "tryout" period. One day later, on November 2, Virtanen scored his first NHL goal, against goaltender Steve Mason of the Philadelphia Flyers at Rogers Arena in Vancouver. After 4 points in 15 games, Virtanen's first NHL season was interrupted with an injury in December. After returning from injury, he was loaned to Hockey Canada for the 2016 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, and returned to the NHL afterwards. On November 11, 2016, Canucks general manager Jim Benning announced Virtanen had been sent down to the Utica Comets. On November 13, he was recalled to the Canucks, but three days later, he was sent back down again—he had registered only 9 goals and 10 assists in 65 games with the Canucks. Virtanen later managed to make the roster out of training camp in the 2017–18 season. He scored his first goal of the 2017–18 season away against the Detroit Red Wings.
International play
Making his first appearance with the Canadian national team prior to the 2013–14 season, Virtanen joined the under-18 squad for the 2012 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament. Playing in a grinding role, Virtanen recorded one assist in five games as Canada won its sixth consecutive gold medal at the event, which culminated with a 4–0 victory over the United States. A first round exit from the WHL playoffs by Calgary allowed Virtanen to make a second appearance with the national team as he played in the 2014 IIHF World U18 Championships. He tied for the team lead in scoring with six points to help lead the Canadians to a bronze medal at the event. At the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championships in Helsinki, Virtanen had one assist in five games and led the Canada in penalty minutes at ten. Canada was eliminated by the host Finland in the quarterfinal.
