Cootes scored twice and added four assists in the Seattle Thunderbirds’ 7-3 win over the Vancouver Giants on November 8, 2025, in the WHL. Cootes has up to five goals and eight assists in eight games since his return to the Thunderbirds following an early-season NHL stint with the Vancouver Canucks. The way Cootes is performing in the WHL, he is too good to be playing here. As early as 2026-2027, he will be a full-time player in the NHL, occupying a third-line center role with second power play unit time. The Canucks have a really strong prospect with intriguing upside.

Cootes has signed his entry-level contract with the Canucks, meaning he will not be going to the NCAA at all, an option many prospects are taking. Cootes will likely be heading back to the WHL to captain the Seattle Thunderbirds for a second year in a row and look to take a jump next year. Cootes is highly projectable and will likely receive numerous opportunities as he progresses to the NHL. There is a fair shot that Cootes gets into NHL games next year, as he will likely leave an impression after training camp and could get into games at the start of the year like Jett Luchanko (PHI) did last year, or he could get into games following the end of his WHL campaign. Either way, it will not be too long before Cootes makes his way to the highest level.

Selected at fifteenth overall, Braeden Cootes is now a member of the Vancouver Canucks.

Braeden Cootes is a player NHL teams will have a lot of time for on draft day. What Cootes brings to the table is both obvious and projectable. He plays with absolutely relentless pace, both with the puck, and maybe even more so without it. It’s genuinely shocking the amount of energy that one player can expend on one shift.

Final Rankings – An impact player in all three zones, Cootes is relentless with and without the puck. He is aggressive and physical in puck battles, generating a ton of turnovers and always looking to get out in transition. A coach’s dream, and he’ll likely be available in the teens. Sign me up.—

Cootes also has a lot of skill, giving him the ability to drive the middle of the ice off the rush. He’s got quick twitch hands, a hard shot, and a snappy release. Cootes also has some solid playmaking instincts, though they’re not put to particularly good use on this particularly poor Seattle team. Cootes’ ceiling might not pop off the page, but his combination of intensity and skill should propel him into an NHL middle-six role.