Rookie forward facing suspension after very late hit.

It appears that one National Hockey League rookie has earned the first black mark on his NHL record.

According to a report from the National Hockey League's Department of Player Safety Vancouver Canucks rookie forward Jake Virtanen is scheduled to have a hearing on Wednesday for an illegal check he delivered to San Jose Sharks defenseman Roman Polak on Tuesday night.

During the opening minutes of the second period of the match up between the Sharks and Canucks Virtanen delivered a very late hit to Polak who had long since moved the puck up the ice, and despite the fact that Polak is a much larger man he was clearly rocked on the play. Polak would stay hunched over for several moments after the blindside hit, and Virtanen was ejected from the game for his actions, but it now sounds like further discipline is coming.

It's been a disappointing season for Virtanen, he's only produced 13 points in 51 games as a Canuck this season, and both the organization and it's fan base likely had higher expectations for the 6th overall pick in 2014.

[pub]