The Canucks’ season at the NHL level has gone sideways in a hurry, but down on the farm, Braeden Cootes is giving the organization exactly the kind of start it wanted to see.
While Vancouver sits in the middle of a nine-game losing streak, the spotlight has shifted hard toward the prospects. And among that group, Cootes has separated himself quickly. The 2025 first-rounder has piled up three goals and three assists for six points in six games with the Abbotsford Canucks, which makes him the only first-round AHLer from his draft class sitting at a point per game.
That’s not a small thing when you look at the names around him. Cootes has outproduced the other forwards from the 2025 class who are also in the AHL: Caleb Desnoyers, Brady Martin, Roger McQueen and Carter Bear. McQueen’s totals are a little misleading because he’s now spending time in the NHL, but the bottom line is still the same - Cootes has been one of the most productive early professionals in the group.
He’s also getting treated like one.
Abbotsford has used him as its top centreman, put him on the top power play, given him penalty-kill work and leaned on him in overtime. That kind of deployment says a lot about how quickly he has earned trust.
And from the early viewings, his offensive game has shown more than many expected this soon. The puck skills, the poise carrying the puck against older competition, the playmaking - it’s all showing up early.
That matters because Cootes has long been projected as a dependable two-way centre, and that label can sometimes flatten the offensive upside of a player who also does the responsible stuff well. But his first stretch in the AHL suggests there’s more pop there than he’s been given credit for.
For now, though, don’t expect this fast start to trigger an NHL call-up. Ryan Johnson has made it clear he wants young players to get as much of the American Hockey League as possible before they jump. Speaking on his Friday hit on Donnie & Dhali, Johnson explained the plan for Cootes this way:
“I sat with Braeden at training camp; I mapped this out with the two of us, not me telling him, but us having a discussion about it, is that I want him to experience anything and everything he can at the American League level before he comes here,” GM Johnson said on his Friday hit on Donnie & Dhali. “There’s no question he’s going to be a part of this organization for a long time and a big part of the turnaround here. I just want to be very strategic of when that is.
“It’s the puck touches. He’s playing on a first-unit power play; he’s killing penalties; he’s playing 20-22 minutes per night, which is outstanding for a 19-year-old to also be able to have the success he’s having very early on.
I say this all the time: people don’t truly understand how difficult the American Hockey League is. It is an erratic game; it’s not as predictable as the NHL game.
So if a young player learns to navigate the chaotic way that sometimes the American Hockey League is, when they come to the National Hockey League, their ability to take a big step because it’s more predictable - with maybe better players around them - you get to what the true ceiling is for a player when they’re able to navigate something like the American Hockey League.
“So, I am in no hurry. By no means will I make decisions based on losses [in Vancouver]. This is doing what’s best for Braeden and the future of the Vancouver Canucks.”
That’s the key here. Cootes’ start has been loud, but the Canucks still appear committed to the patient route.
Even so, this has been a strong opening statement from a 19-year-old who has jumped straight into the pro game and looked comfortable right away. With the way he’s producing and the way he’s being used, Cootes is giving Vancouver a clear reason to be encouraged.
He’ll be back in action tonight against the Calgary Wranglers at 5 PM PT at Rogers Forum.
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