Canucks select Braeden Cootes No. 15 overall in 2025 NHL Draft

The Vancouver Canucks looked to the Western Hockey League’s Seattle Thunderbirds at the NHL Draft Friday night at The Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, selecting Braeden Cootes with the 15th overall pick.

Cootes, 18, led the Thunderbirds with 37 assists to go along with 26 goals for a team-leading 63 points in 60 regular-season games in 2024-25. Through two full WHL seasons and a brief seven-game debut the season prior, the 5-foot-11, 183-pound Cootes has 40 goals and 59 assists for 99 points in 131 career WHL regular-season games.

This past spring, Cootes, a native of Sherwood Park, Alta., made his WHL postseason debut, scoring two goals and six assists for eight points in six playoff games.

In his final 2025 NHL Draft Rankings, Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis wrote that Cootes as an NHL player may evolve into “more of an energy forward … but he’ll be a good one at that.”

“The thing that really stands out here is just how much he wants the puck, and he’s willing to do whatever it takes to get it,” Ellis said. “Cootes is also a solid playmaker, often easily finding teammates in open space. I think his value goes far beyond his numbers, which you want from a center.”

In a June 19 interview with CHL.ca, Cootes says he likes the puck on his stick.

“If I don’t have it, I’m gonna go get it,” Cootes said. “Just relentless on the forecheck. I like to find my teammates in open spots. My dad always told me growing up that you can only control your work ethic, so just playing as hard as I can until the buzzer goes.”

Internationally, Cootes served as captain for Canada at the 2025 Under-18 Championship, recording six goals and six assists for 12 points in seven games, leading all Canadians in points.

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