Once he’s back from the World Juniors, Vancouver Canucks prospect Braeden Cootes will be on the move.
Cootes, who the Canucks selected 15th overall in the 2025 draft, had suited up for 17 games with the Seattle Thunderbirds before heading to Minnesota to represent Canada at the World Juniors. Once the tournament is wrapped up, Cootes will suit up for a new WHL squad.
Sounds like Braeden Cootes will be traded to Prince Albert.
WHL
— Rick Dhaliwal (@DhaliwalSports) January 5, 2026
As per CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal, Cootes is being traded to the Prince Albert Raiders. The Raiders currently sit second in the Eastern Conference and third in league standings with a superb 27-5-4 record.
This will be a welcome move by Cootes, as the Thunderbirds have struggled immensely this season. Through 35 games, they sit dead last in the Western Conference at 14-17-4.
With the trade, Cootes will join a loaded roster that features plenty of talent, including draft-eligible prospects Riley Boychuk and Daxon Rudolph.
Despite playing on a struggling Thunderbirds squad this season, Cootes has impressed with 10 goals and 23 points. The 18-year-old was also able to log three games with the Canucks to begin the 2025-26 campaign before being sent back to juniors.
Meanwhile, Cootes has managed a goal in six games while playing for Canada at the World Juniors. Ice time has been hard to come by at this year’s tournament for the Canucks prospect, who has been playing in a bottom-six role while receiving no power-play opportunities.
Despite Canucks fans being disappointed over the very limited role for Cootes at the World Juniors, they should continue to remain confident that they have a very good prospect in the 5-foot-11 centreman. Perhaps he’ll even be given a bigger role on Monday as Canada looks to capture a bronze medal in a game versus Finland.
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