Braeden Cootes joined distinguished company with the Vancouver Canucks when he became the first 18-year-old to make their opening-night roster since Petr Nedved in 1990. He did not have a shot on goal in 9:53 of ice time in a 5-1 win against the Calgary Flames in Vancouver on Oct. 9, 2025.

Cootes was assigned to the Seattle of the Western Hockey League on Oct. 14. The No. 15 pick of the 2025 NHL Draft had an impressive training camp after getting 63 points (26 goals, 37 assists) in 60 WHL games in 2024-25. He signed his three-year, entry-level contract with the Canucks on July 9, 2025, coming off his third season in the WHL, when he was named Thunderbirds co-captain Nov. 22 and took over the captaincy Jan. 4. He led Seattle in assists and points while tying for second in goals during the regular season.

The native of Sherwood Park, Alberta, played for Canada at the 2023 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge. He won gold at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and the 2025 IIHF World Under-18 Championship. He was team captain in the latter and named one of Canada's top 3 players at the tournament.