When he was much younger than his 18 years, Braeden Cootes was one of those local kids lining up and waiting hours for Edmonton Oilers autographs.

“Yeah, I think I was at West Edmonton Mall,” said the Vancouver Canucks’ first-round draft pick, who grew up in Sherwood Park, hanging out with Oilers and SportsNet’s play-by-play man Jack Michaels’ son Tyler, going back to when they were in elementary school.

So, yes, it is a small world, with Michaels calling the late NHL game Saturday along with partner Louie DeBrusk, whose son Jake, of course, plays for the Canucks.

“Cootes was a linemate of my son’s in atom hockey. He was a few months younger than Tyler. They’ve played golf together for years. Great family,” said Michaels.

Cootes certainly has a soft spot for the Michaels clan.

“I’ve known Jack since I was seven years old. I played minor hockey with Tyler, like when we were eight or nine years old,” said Cootes.

The Michaels family was at Cootes’ draft party at Game On sports bar in Sherwood Park with Braeden, his insurance-broker dad, Rob, and nurse mum, Julie, after the Canucks took the Seattle Thunderbirds centre 15th overall in late June.

Again, small world.

And, as Cootes played his first NHL league game against the team he grew up worshipping Saturday, with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins being one of his idols, ex-Oilers forward Evander Kane was also riding shotgun on his left wing, with Swedish shooter Jonathan Lekkerimaki on the right side.

“He (Kane) was one of my favourite players on the Oilers. Now I’m playing with him. Yeah, it is pretty cool. He’s been great to me. He’s obviously a big presence out there, gives me a lot of space,” said Cootes, who is the first 18-year-old Canucks’ first-rounder to make the NHL right after being drafted since Petr Nedved when it was held in Vancouver in 1990. Both played junior for the Seattle Thunderbirds.

Is there a purpose there, putting Kane with Cootes?

“Yeah, maybe a little bit, but the game’s really not like that anymore,” said Canucks’ coach Adam Foote, one of the toughest defencemen to play against in NHL history, a pillar on the Colorado Avalanche blueline and a Canadian Olympian in 1998, 2002 and 2006. “Nah, it just felt right. They throw the puck around pretty well.”

Kane was in the NHL at 18, too, as the fourth-overall pick of Atlanta in 2009.

“I don’t know if I’ve played with an 18-year-old since I was one,” said Kane, 34, who will be playing his 932nd NHL game Saturday, while it’s Cootes’ second.

“Brings back some memories for sure. You realize how difficult it was to step in right away at 18 and you want to contribute as a first-round pick. In Braeden’s case, what separates him and me was I was going to a bad team and we’re a team (Canucks) that has some juice and can maybe take the pressure off a bit,” said Kane.

“Having his first NHL game the other night (vs Calgary) in Vancouver, and now coming home, the pressure’s continuing to mount for him, right?” he said.

“Not an easy task, but he’s a real level-headed kid and he’s continuing to get more comfortable,” said Kane.

There are no guarantees the 5’11”, 183-pound right-shot C Cootes will stick with the Canucks because he’s only a teenager. They can play him up to nine games before deciding if he should return to junior. A 10thgame means his three-year entry level contract kicks in.

For now, he’s done everything asked of him by Foote, who became a fan as the teenager navigated through camp.

Does Foote remember back to his days as a kid, trying to find his way?

“I wasn’t in the NHL at 18,” he laughed.

The decorated blueliner is slow-playing the youngster on a third line with Elias Pettersson as his No. 1 with Jake DeBrusk on his wing, and Filip Chytl in the second hole. The Canucks are without veteran C Teddy Blueger, who could be the 3C, when back. But, for now Cootes is living the dream.

“It’s been a crazy couple of weeks. Just trying to take it all in. Trying to not worry about making mistakes. Trying to play my game, up to my standards … and I guess that was good enough in their eyes,” said Cootes, who would have been sent back to junior during camp, but he wasn’t.

Only four 2025 first-rounders made their teams. Mathew Schaefer, the first overall pick, is going to be a stud on the New York Islanders’ blueline. The No. 2 selection, forward Michael Misa also made the Sharks, and No. 5 forward Brady Martin was in Nashville’s opening lineup. Cootes is the fourth youngest player in the league right now.

There’s man-strength in the NHL and Cootes is only 183 pounds. But there’s lots of fire in his belly, he’s got a high-end motor and he’s quick to pucks, often out-thinking or out manoeuvering bigger people.

“He’s a gamer,” said Oil Kings’ GM Kirt Hill, who may well try and deal for Cootes at the January trade deadline, along with all the contenders if he’s sent back to Seattle and the Thunderbirds are off-loading their talent for draft picks.

“He’s (Cootes) is a smart hockey player. We’re going day by day with him. It’s a lot, right? We’re not looking ahead to when the schedule gets tough or there’s back-to-backs (to let him sit). Just day by day,” said Foote.

As a coach can you teach smart? Or are players just born with hockey IQ?

“That’s a loaded question. That question can go in so many ways. You got an hour,” shrugged Foote. “The way I would answer that is some kids learn all the way through. They pick it up quickly. You have to figure out what makes it work (with young players).”

“They can be shown on the ice, some need video. They can all learn. Cootes just picks it up quickly,” he said.

Was there a game plan for Cootes when drafted in the first-round? Like how many games would he get in camp? “I don’t know if there’s ever a set plan. A lot’s pencilled in with the salary cap and the money. You (media) all know that. He just kept going. We’re keeping our eyes open, the door open and it’ll all fall into place,” said Foote.

Kane, also on the Canucks’ first PP unit as one of their four forwards along with Pettersson, Brock Boeser and DeBrusk, played an exhibition game against the Oilers in Vancouver but this is his first trip back for the real thing since his summer trade.

After being at a lot of Oiler weddings in the summers (Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl) and being to two Cup finals with his teammates, he’s on the other side now after 68 playoff games in an Oiler jersey. He plays a hardscrabble game, now he has to do it against friends for the first time in league play.

“Not the game plan in our exhibition game against Edmonton but when the puck drops (league game) I think we’ll get back to what we normally do. It might be a little more difficult to muster up (meanness) but I’m sure we’ll find a way.”

What kind of reception is he expecting Saturday night?

“Hopefully, pretty positively. A lot of great memories and moments in my tenure here,” said Kane, who isn’t sure if the fans will get on him because he’s in an enemy jersey but usually booing is a sign of respect.

If they don’t, they don’t care about you.

“I’ve been booed plenty of times. We’ll see tonight. But maybe they’ll change it up,” he said.

How would he summarize his time as an Oiler?

“Long, deep playoff rounds, a lot of success on and off the ice (once in 2022 losing in the Western Conference final to Colorado and two trips to play Florida in the last dance),” he said.

“Obviously disappointing to not take at least one of those two Cup appearances but looking back, there were a lot of good memories.”