Canucks prospect Jake Virtanen dangles 2 defenders for spectacular goal (VIDEO)

The area in front of the benches at the Saddledome might have to be named the Jake Virtanen Expressway.

The Vancouver Canucks prospect who was an important contributor to Canada's world junior championship win earlier this month has the speed and skill to simply be a breed apart from his junior peers. Virtanen gave a demonstration of that with a breathtaking goal for the Calgary Hitmen against the Swift Current Broncos on Friday. Afforded some time and space to wind up in his own zone, the 18-year-old left Montreal Canadiens-drafted defenceman Brett Lernout knock-kneed with an inside-out move, then toe-dragged around the sliding form of defenceman Jordan Thomson before snapping the puck in for the second goal of a 7-0 win.

That was almost as pretty as the jerseys Swift Current was wearing, which a more of the traditional Bronco blue.

There's likely not a lot many Western Hockey League defencemen can do when Virtanen, with his skating and strength, is able to get a free zone exit from his own end. The Abbotsford, B.C., native has two goals in five games since rejoining the Hitmen, where he's working to become an all-around player rather than just a pure scorer. As a matter of fact, the 18-year-old's assists-per-game rate is almost double what it was last season in Calgary (16 in 27 games after only 26 in 71 as a sophomore, when he was busy scoring 45 goals). That is a less buzzy but likely more positive development as Virtanen moves closer to making a leap to the more competitive echelons of hockey.

Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet.