The Vancouver Canucks are about to put one of their most promising young centers back in the spotlight.
In a few weeks, top prospects will face off against the Seattle Kraken in a two-day showcase, the second time the event has been staged. This year’s version will be held at Rogers Forum in Abbotsford, after Seattle hosted the first one last year at Angel Of The Winds Arena in Everett. Braeden Cootes, who was part of the event after going 15th overall in the draft, is set to be back in the mix again - only this time with another season of development behind him.
That’s the big reason Cootes feels different now than he did a year ago. He’s no longer the fresh-faced 18-year-old who made the Canucks’ opening night roster and turned heads just by being in the conversation. He’s 19 now, and after a packed 2025-26 season, the next step is all about settling into a full-time pro path and continuing his climb toward becoming Vancouver’s next elite two-way center.
Cootes’ 2025-26 campaign was a true four-uniform season. He started with the Canucks, then moved on to the Seattle Thunderbirds, then Team Canada, and finally the Prince Albert Raiders.
By the time it ended in May with a 7-2 loss to the Everett Silvertips, he had played 75 games for four different teams. Even with all that movement, he kept producing.
His strongest stretch came with the Thunderbirds, where he finished with 10 goals and 23 points in his final 17 games as captain. He followed that with 14 goals and 40 points in 28 games with the Raiders, then added two goals in seven games for Team Canada while helping them secure a bronze medal.
The WHL playoffs only added to the résumé. Cootes finished fourth in postseason scoring with seven goals and 23 points in 20 games, helping the Raiders reach the WHL Final before Everett shut the door with four straight wins after Prince Albert took Game 1 4-2.
Even in defeat, Cootes’ season ended on a high note statistically: 24 goals and 63 points in 45 games overall. He also picked up the WHL’s Most Sportsmanlike Player award after the playoffs, and his total time in the penalty box was just eight minutes.
All of that sets up a straightforward 2026-27 outlook. Cootes has done what he can at the WHL level, so barring something unexpected, he should be wearing a Canucks jersey of some kind this season - either in Vancouver or in Abbotsford. Thanks to the NHL and CHL agreement that allows one 19-year-old to play in the AHL starting in 2026-27, he’s eligible for that next step.
The assignment for this season is simple: keep growing. He doesn’t need to arrive as the finished version of a Brayden Schenn, Phillip Danault or Anthony Cirelli type right away.
The Canucks are in a rebuild, and that means patience should be part of the plan, especially with a player like Cootes. Let him develop at the right pace, and only push him into a major NHL role when he’s ready.
For the 2026-27 projections, the expectation is that he begins in Abbotsford as the top-line center for head coach Ryan Papaioannou and spends most of the year there. From there, the forecast is a strong rookie AHL season, with 20 goals, plus 20-25 NHL games that include his first goal and first points. He’s also projected to wear the “C” for Team Canada at the 2027 World Juniors.
For the Canucks’ 2025 first-round pick, that would count as a solid debut season - and another clear step forward.
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