VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Canucks used their first-round draft pick on Friday to address critical long-term needs for leadership and a top-six center. However, this move is geared towards the future and isn`t expected to significantly impact the team next season, or likely for the following three or four years.
For two months leading up to the draft, the Canucks had attempted to use their first-round pick as leverage to acquire a top-six center who could immediately contribute and help mitigate the loss felt since J.T. Miller`s departure last season. Despite these efforts, they were ultimately unable to navigate the market conditions, exacerbated by the rapidly increasing salary cap. Consequently, they retained the 15th overall selection in the National Hockey League Draft and picked Braeden Cootes, the captain of the Seattle Thunderbirds.
Cootes, who is just 18 years old, was the youngest captain in the Western Hockey League. His selection instantly places him among Vancouver`s most promising forward prospects, potentially second only to Jonathan Lekkerimaki. Lekkerimaki, a 20-year-old winger drafted 15th overall in 2022, spent the recent season splitting time between the Canucks and their American Hockey League team, which won the Calder Cup.
When asked about his background growing up in Sherwood Park, a suburb of Edmonton, Cootes lightheartedly remarked, “I mean, today`s obviously my last day being an Oilers fan. But yeah, you know, I liked the Canucks. They`re a team that I love watching. I love watching (Quinn) Hughes play, J.T Miller when he was there. Obviously, it`s pretty cool now being a Vancouver Canuck so close to home as well. And being on the West Coast is awesome.”
