Thunderbirds Captain Cootes Inks Entry-Level Contract with Vancouver Canucks
Published on July 10, 2025 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Seattle Thunderbirds News Release
Seattle Thunderbirds Captain Braeden Cootes has put pen to paper on a three-year, entry-level contract with the Vancouver Canucks, General Manager Patrik Allvin announced Wednesday.
The speedy centreman was recently drafted with the 15th overall pick in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft and is fresh off of attending his first Canucks Development Camp.
"He can skate very well, great vision," Thunderbirds Head Coach Matt O'Dette said of Cootes' game prior to the draft. "(He) can move the puck. He's got hands. He can finish. He's got a shot- all the tools that you need. It's being an elite offensive player, and to go with that, he's got the high hockey IQ, the 200-foot game, really cares about his own end, and the intangibles that you need.
All these NHL teams are looking for guys that can win hockey games in the crunch time and in the Stanley Cup playoffs, and he's the guy that's going to help you do that."
Cootes, a 6-foot, 183-pound centreman, set new career highs with 26 goals and 37 assists for 63 points in 60 regular-season games in 2024-25.
He led the T-Birds in points and assists while finishing second in goals, helping Seattle go 19-11-2-0 in the second half of the regular season to shoot from last place in the Western Conference to clinching a playoff berth.
The memorable season also saw the Sherwood Park, Alta. product represent the WHL at the inaugural CHL USA Prospects Challenge and win gold medals for Canada at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup (1A) and 2025 IIHF U18 World Championship (6G-6A), where he also earned the captaincy and was named one of Canada's top three players.
Originally selected by the Thunderbirds with the 10th overall pick in the 2022 WHL Prospects Draft, Cootes first joined the Thunderbirds during the team's 2023 WHL Championship run and quickly impressed his peers and team staff, though he didn't crack the lineup as a 15-year-old.
Cootes has tallied 40 goals and 59 assists for 99 points in 131 regular-season WHL games, in addition to a team-leading eight points (2G-6A) in six games in the 2025 WHL Playoffs.
Western Hockey League Stories from July 10, 2025
- Hurricanes Acquire Lima from Silvertips - Lethbridge Hurricanes
- Silvertips Trade Lukas Lima to Lethbridge for Fifth-Round Pick - Everett Silvertips
- NHL Draft: Lynden Lakovic - Moose Jaw Warriors
- Thunderbirds Captain Cootes Inks Entry-Level Contract with Vancouver Canucks - Seattle Thunderbirds
- 10 Prospects Named to Provincial U16 Development Camp Rosters - Moose Jaw Warriors
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
