First-rounder Cootes generating lots of buzz early in Vancouver Canucks preseason
If Braeden Cootes wasn’t generating a ton of hype heading into training camp, the Vancouver Canucks prospect is now.
Drafted 15th overall by the Canucks in June, the Sherwood Park, Alta. native has a bright future. But given his age (18) and size (5-foot-11, 183 pounds), his NHL arrival isn’t expected to come for a year or two.
But maybe we should rethink that.
It’s very early and Cootes still has a lot to prove, but the youngster is showing that he deserves consideration for a roster spot.
Cootes picked up an assist in Sunday’s preseason opener in Seattle, making a couple nifty plays at the blue line before Victor Mancini’s power-play goal.
That was a crisp pass by Cootes to Mancini for the assist on the goal, but it was his poise at the blue line on the zone entry that impressed me more.
Great control under pressure, lovely little pass to Mancini to get the #Canucks power play set up. pic.twitter.com/78iD0aFtvH
— Daniel Wagner (@passittobulis) September 22, 2025
Cootes showed well in 14:56 of ice time, and even won 57.1 per cent of his faceoffs, which is an area that young players often struggle. Playing with Kiefer Sherwood and Arshdeep Bains on his wings, Cootes’ line was also arguably the most impressive trio at Saturday’s training-camp scrimmage in Penticton.
There is a long road to go, but consider these first tests passed by Cootes. The tests will only get more difficult as preseason goes on of course, when teams begin dressing lineups filled with more NHL-level players.
Only Elias Pettersson, Filip Chytil, and Teddy Blueger are guaranteed centre spots so far, so there is an opening in Vancouver’s lineup. Aatu Räty is a player many had pencilled in for a spot, and he probably will make the team given he is waiver eligible. But Räty didn’t stand out in training camp. Max Sasson, Ty Mueller, and Nils Åman are the other contenders, but they come without much fanfare.
Cootes is the only right-shot centre of that bunch, which could be another point in his favour.
Players earning regular roster spots at age 18 are few and far between in the NHL. Those that do it are usually top draft picks, like Macklin Celebrini or Connor Bedard.
But there are a few examples of players drafted in the middle of the first round that make the jump right away, like Zack Benson (drafted 13th overall by Buffalo) in 2023-24 or Cole Sillinger (12th overall by Columbus) in 2021-22.
Is Cootes an exception to the rule, too?
Too soon to say, but Canucks head coach Adam Foote certainly liked what he saw in Seattle.
“He’s just smart. He’s reliable. For a young kid, his hockey IQ is very high,” Foote said of Cootes following Sunday’s game. “He’s able to adapt in these games. I like the way he hung in there when things probably weren’t going our way. He played above pucks, made good decisions with the puck.
“It was nice to see he’s calm at such a young age.”