In a disappointing turn of events, Jake Virtanen lined up with Utica Comets mainstays Carter Bancks and Wacey Hamilton on Day 1 of training camp.



It wasn’t quite how anyone had hoped to see it drawn up.



Make no mistake: this was a banishment. Canucks head coach Travis Green explicitly left Virtanen out of the two earlier groups peppered with NHL players on one-way contracts because Virtanen failed to hit previously agreed to, but unspecified fitness targets.



Green didn’t share details, but he was direct in addressing the matter with media on Friday afternoon in Victoria, B.C.



“Yes, there is” Green replied bluntly when asked if there was a reason Virtanen was included the third group. “I’ve been with Jake a long time. I think he’s a big part of our team, I think he’s a big part of our future. I don’t want people reading into anything other than that he wasn’t in the groups...