Braeden Cootes

January 2025 – Braeden Cootes is a player NHL teams will have a lot of time for on draft day. What Cootes brings to the table is both obvious and projectable. He plays with absolutely relentless pace, both with the puck, and maybe even more so without it. It’s genuinely shocking the amount of energy that one player can expend on one shift.

Cootes also has a lot of skill, giving him the ability to drive the middle of the ice off the rush. He’s got quick twitch hands, a hard shot, and a snappy release. Cootes also has some solid playmaking instincts, though they’re not put to particularly good use on this particularly poor Seattle team. Cootes’ ceiling might not pop off the page, but his combination of intensity and skill should propel him into an NHL middle-six role.   Luke Sweeney