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Cootes just did something not seen by Vancouver Canucks in 35 years

Rob Williams
Rob Williams
|
Oct 6 2025, 10:52 pm
Cootes just did something not seen by Vancouver Canucks in 35 years
@Canucks/X

Braeden Cootes is about to make a little bit of Vancouver Canucks history.

Picked 15th overall at the NHL Draft in June, Cootes was the surprise of Canucks training camp, making the opening-night lineup at just 18 years old.

That makes the Sherwood Park, Alta., native one of the youngest players in franchise history.

Cootes, who is going to play in Thursday’s season opener, per John Shannon, will become just the eighth 18-year-old to ever play for the Canucks, and the first since Petr Nedved in 1990.

18-year-olds to play for the Canucks: 

  • Petr Nedved (1990-91)
  • Trevor Linden (1988-89)
  • Rob Murphy (1987-88)
  • Jim Sandlak (1985-86)
  • J.J. Daigneault (1984-85)
  • Cam Neely (1983-84)
  • Garth Butcher (1981-82)

Only Cam Neely (June 6) and Trevor Linden (April 11) were further away from their 19th birthdays than Cootes (Feb. 9) when they made their NHL debuts.

Nedved, Linden, Jim Sandlak, J.J. Daigneault, and Neely are the only other five players to make the team out of training camp at 18 years old. Rob Murphy and Garth Butcher were each midseason additions to the team.

What a difference a few months make

Heading into the offseason, many people expected the Canucks to trade their first-round pick as part of a package to get a second-line centre.

Few, if any, expected the player picked to make the NHL out of training camp.

That’s for good reason, because Macklin Celebrini was the only 18-year-old to play a full year at the NHL level last season.

Cootes is one of just five players from the 2025 draft to crack opening-night rosters this season.

The others are:

  • Matthew Schaefer (1st overall, New York Islanders)
  • Michael Misa (2nd overall, San Jose Sharks)
  • Brady Martin (5th overall, Nashville Predators)
  • Ben Kindel (11th overall, Pittsburgh Penguins)

Cootes finished the preseason with four points (2-2-4) in four games. The 5-foot-11, 183-pound centre lined up between Evander Kane and Jonathan Lekkerimäki in the preseason finale on Friday.

We’ll see how long Cootes lasts in the NHL this season. The Canucks have the option to send him back to junior if it proves to be too difficult. They can also elect to play him for up to nine games without burning the first year of his entry-level contract.

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