Braeden Cootes
| Braeden Cootes | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
February 9, 2007 | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
| Weight | 183 lb (83 kg; 13 st 1 lb) | ||
| Position | Centre | ||
| Shoots | Right | ||
| NHL team (P) Cur. team |
Vancouver Canucks Prince Albert Raiders (WHL) | ||
| NHL draft |
15th overall, 2025 Vancouver Canucks | ||
| Playing career | 2025–present | ||
Braeden Cootes (born February 9, 2007) is a Canadian ice hockey player who is a centre for the Prince Albert Raiders of the Western Hockey League (WHL) as a prospect to the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL).[1] He was drafted fifteenth overall by the Canucks in the 2025 NHL entry draft.[2]
Playing career
Cootes was captain of the Seattle Thunderbirds in 2024–25, the youngest captain in the Western Hockey League, and scored 26 goals and 37 assists in 60 games.[3] It was speculated the Canucks would target Cootes leading up to the 2025 draft.[4] He signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Canucks on July 10, 2025.[5]
On October 6, 2025, the Canucks announced that Cootes made their opening night roster.[6] Cootes was the first 18-year old to earn a spot on Vancouver's opening night roster since Petr Nedvěd in 1990.[7] He made his NHL debut on October 9, 2025, in a 5–1 victory over the Calgary Flames, logging 11 minutes and 14 seconds of ice time.[8] After going pointless in three games, he was returned to the Seattle Thunderbirds on October 14, 2025.[9] On January 6, 2026, he was traded to the Prince Albert Raiders.[10]
International play
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Representing Canada | ||
| Ice hockey | ||
| World Junior Championships | ||
| 2026 United States | ||
Cootes captained Team Canada to a gold medal winning U18 world championship, scoring six goals and 12 points in seven games.[11][12]
In December 2025, he was selected to represent Canada at the 2026 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.[13] During the tournament he recorded two goals in seven games and won a bronze medal.[14]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2022–23 | Seattle Thunderbirds | WHL | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | Seattle Thunderbirds | WHL | 64 | 14 | 21 | 35 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2024–25 | Seattle Thunderbirds | WHL | 60 | 26 | 37 | 63 | 18 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 4 | ||
| 2025–26 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2025–26 | Seattle Thunderbirds | WHL | 17 | 10 | 13 | 23 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| WHL totals | 148 | 50 | 72 | 122 | 36 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 4 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Canada | HG18 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 27 | ||
| 2026 | Canada | WJC | 7 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||
| Junior totals | 10 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 29 | ||||
References
- ^ Bukala, Jason. "Scout's Analysis: Ranking the top 80 prospects for the 2025 NHL Draft". Sportsnet. Retrieved 28 June 2025.
- ^ Laskaris, Adam. "Vancouver Canucks select Braeden Cootes at No. 15 in 2025 NHL Draft". Daily Hive Vancouver. Retrieved 28 June 2025.
- ^ Pronman, Corey. "NHL Draft 2025 ranking: Matthew Schaefer leads Corey Pronman's top 125 prospects list". The Athletic. Retrieved 28 June 2025.
- ^ Zator, Matthew. "Canucks 2025 NHL Draft Target: Braeden Cootes". The Hockey Writers. Retrieved 28 June 2025.
- ^ Wagner, Daniel. "Canucks sign first-round draft pick Braeden Cootes". Vancouver Is Awesome. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
- ^ "VANCOUVER CANUCKS ANNOUNCE 2025.26 OPENING NIGHT ROSTER". Vancouver Canucks. Retrieved 6 October 2025.
- ^ MacIntyre, Iain. "Cootes headlines impressive youth movement on Canucks' opening-night roster". Sportsnet. Retrieved 6 October 2025.
- ^ Kuzma, Ben (October 10, 2025). "Canucks Coffee: Braeden Cootes becomes marked man in the rite of NHL passage". The Province. Retrieved October 10, 2025.
- ^ "Canucks sending Braeden Cootes to WHL, calling up Max Sasson for road trip". Sportsnet. October 14, 2025. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
- ^ "Prince Albert Raiders acquire Canucks prospect Braeden Cootes in WHL blockbuster". Sportsnet. 6 January 2026. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
- ^ Matheson, Jim. "Sherwood Park's Cootes likely going in mid-first round of upcoming NHL Draft". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved 28 June 2025.
- ^ Svoboda, Jeff. "2025 NHL draft preview: The top 32 players in our annual consensus rankings". NHL. Retrieved 28 June 2025.
- ^ "Canada returns three players to club teams, trims world juniors roster". Sportsnet. December 18, 2025. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
- ^ Aykroyd, Lucas (5 January 2026). "Canada ends medal drought with bronze". IIHF.com. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from Eliteprospects.com, or The Internet Hockey Database