reseason is an audition for young players to prove themselves to the big club and a Vancouver Canucks prospect is proving he is one to watch.
Braeden Cootes was drafted 15th overall by the Canucks in June’s draft. The centre was coming off a 20 goal and 37 assist season with the Seattle Thunderbirds of the WHL. With the Thunderbirds, he was the team’s captain, the youngest in the WHL.
Cootes signed an entry level deal in the summer and at training camp and preseason, he has impressed.
Cootes has impressed
Players like Aatu Raty and Jonathan Lekkerimäki were names to watch heading into the preseason. There were going to be eyes on Cootes as well. However, it is fair to say no one expected him to impress.
The Sherwood Park, Alberta native has been praised by scouts for his forechecking, motor and energy. Cootes has also been praised for his aggressiveness and hockey IQ.
In three preseason games, he has displayed those traits. He’s been aggressive on the forecheck, showcased his speed, passing and made the right play more often than not.
He has scored a couple of goals as well. This one against the Edmonton Oilers went of Mattias Ekholm’s skate showed he knew where to be to receive the pass and made the right choice to throw it in front of goal. It was a pass intended for Drew O’Conner but Cootes obviously took it.
This goal against the Seattle Kraken also displayed how dangerous Cootes can be in front of the net. Once again, he was in the right place at the right time.
Veterans on the Canucks have been speaking highly of him.
“He’s here to make the team,” said Evander Kane on Cootes after the win over the Kraken last Friday per Patrick Johnston of The Province.“That’s the right attitude to have. At the end of the day, this is a business and you’re trying to steal a grown man’s job. That’s what my dad told me going in at 18. You’re going to steal somebody’s job. It’s a different mentality. It’s a different mindset. When you get to camp, you can’t curl up into a ball. You gotta go out and show your game.”
“From what I’ve seen so far, he looks good,” said Elias Pettersson on Cootes per Iain MacIntrye on September 27. ““There’s a lot of skill. It looks like he’s been training hard and always wants to be better every day. So I really like what I’ve seen so far.”
The underlying numbers on Cootes in the preseason validate the eye test.
Canucks head coach Adam Foote has been speaking highly of Cootes.
“He’s just so smart,” said Foote on the young centre after the win over Seattle.
Can Cootes make the Canucks roster on October 9?
It is a very tough task for an 18-year-old to make the NHL just months after the draft. It’s rare that a prospect picked outside of the top three or top five makes the team. Though there are a few exceptions. Zach Benson made the Buffalo Sabres opening night roster for the 2023-24 season months after being taken 13th overall. In 2016, Matthew Tkachuk was taken by the Calgary Flames sixth overall. That October, he was on the Flames opening night roster.
Making the team as a 15th overall pick would be remarkable. According to Johnston, the last Canuck to make the team as an 18-year-old was Peter Nevded in 1990. Nevded was drafted second overall that year.
Cootes is determined to prove people wrong.
“My goal is just to show people I can maybe play here,” he said after the 4-2 win over the Kraken on Friday. “Make the coaches be like ‘oh, maybe he’s got a shot, make a little noise there.’…I’m a competitive person, I’m not just going in there for an experience.”
With two more preseason games to go, Cootes has some more time to complete his audition. It would be great if he makes the roster on opening night, but he is not guaranteed to stay. The next stage is how he does during the first nine games of the season. If he doesn’t, he goes back to junior. If he does, Cootes will officially be a big leaguer.
But taking it one day at a time is the right approach for Cootes. Whether he makes the Canucks or not this year, it is clear that there is a lot of potential for him to be a very good NHL player.
