Oilers sign Virtanen, Demers to tryout deals

The Edmonton Oilers inked forward Jake Virtanen and defenseman Jason Demers to professional tryout contracts Monday.

In late July, Virtanen was found not guilty of sexual assault after he was charged in January. In May 2021, a woman said in a lawsuit that Virtanen forced himself upon her and assaulted her in a Vancouver hotel room in 2017, despite her pleas for him to stop. He denied the allegations one month later.

The Vancouver Canucks placed Virtanen on leave when the allegations surfaced. They later bought out his contract. He then signed with the KHL's Spartak Moscow, with whom he played the 2021-22 season.

Virtanen, 26, spent all six of his NHL campaigns with the Canucks, who drafted him sixth overall in 2014.

Demers played five games for Ak Bars Kazan in the KHL last season. He represented Canada at the Olympics in February and last played in the NHL with the Arizona Coyotes in 2021.

The 34-year-old has played 12 NHL campaigns. He spent his last four with the Coyotes.

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