It has\u00a0been a year since Braeden Cootes had his dream come true when his name was called on night one of the NHL Entry Draft.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
We caught up with Cootes to reflect on his big night in the summer of 2025 and look ahead to the upcoming Canucks development camp and training camp in the fall.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
When Cootes\u00a0thinks\u00a0back to\u00a0his draft night, the first thing that comes to mind is his family\u2019s reaction and how happy they were to see his dream become a reality.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSpending time with my family, and how much they did for me, just having that moment with them, I think, was the coolest part of the whole thing. Getting to share the experience with\u00a0them, because\u00a0it’s\u00a0not just me. Honestly, it takes a lot of people to get to that point, so I think just celebrating it with them was the coolest part,\u201d said Cootes.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
He said the favourite reactions he remembers were from his mom and grandpa.\u00a0He loved seeing his mother’s raw emotion, and he was also surprised to see his grandpa let his feelings out.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMy grandpa, he’s a pretty quiet guy, and I\u2019ve never seen him so excited,\u201d said Cootes.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cootes had a feeling the Canucks would select him with their first-round pick, but when the organization announced the\u00a0selection, it was still a surreal moment for the young centre.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I heard my name called, it was\u00a0kind of like\u00a0an out-of-body experience for a second, but then\u00a0you\u00a0kind of just\u00a0try to enjoy it and take it all in. I was a little more on the edge of my seat for when the Canucks were on the clock,\u201d said Cootes.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
He has been skating with some draft-eligible players during his summer skates and has been happy to provide guidance or answer questions to players who are about to experience a whirlwind week. Cootes says this year\u2019s draft is much less stressful than last year’s, and he is already looking forward to Canucks development camp next week.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLast year\u2019s development camp was a lot of fun,\u201d said Cootes. \u201cIt\u2019s\u00a0your first time feeling like an actual NHL player because at Canucks development camp, we do so much. We were doing different things around Vancouver, we were on the\u00a0ice, and\u00a0doing media. It was\u00a0a great way\u00a0to get your feet wet in the NHL.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was a long season for Cootes. He played three NHL games, competed with Canada at the World Juniors, and reached the final round of the WHL playoffs. He is looking forward to seeing some of the fellow\u00a0Canucks\u00a0prospects he built relationships with at camp last year.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
In his NHL stint last season, Cootes\u00a0worked\u00a0a ton with Daniel and Henrik Sedin. It was a lot of extra work on the ice and in the video room after practice, and he took their advice to heart for the 2025-26 season.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey helped me out with that a lot,\u201d he said about the Sedin twins. \u201cI remember them telling me to be confident and not take a back seat to anyone, just play my game, be confident, and be yourself. Hearing it from those guys obviously helps a lot. So,\u00a0yeah, they were a huge help for me last year.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Following the development camp, Cootes will continue to skate with a prolific group of players near Edmonton. He then has the World Junior camp with Team Canada. And following that,\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0time to grind and look to be in the best shape of his life as he\u00a0attempts\u00a0to make the jump to being a full-time pro.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Last season, he had an impressive training camp with the Canucks and continued to prove himself with each passing day. That goal will remain the same this fall, and he is feeling even more confident now than he was at the start of last season.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel good. Last year, I\u00a0didn’t\u00a0really know what to expect, and this year, I feel a lot more comfortable and confident coming in, just playing my game and not being too worried about making mistakes or anything like that. Especially since we have a younger team and are going through a rebuild. It gives you a sense of excitement in wanting to be a part of that.\u00a0I’m\u00a0really excited to come in and just show that I belong and can be an NHL player,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Manny is awesome. He was our\u00a0rookie\u00a0tournament coach, and I really\u00a0like\u00a0him. I think the way\u00a0he\u00a0coaches\u00a0is\u00a0really similar\u00a0to how I play.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0all about high\u00a0compete\u00a0and playing an honest game.\u00a0He was also really good at faceoffs, so I\u2019m excited to learn a lot from him there.\u00a0I was\u00a0really excited\u00a0when we the organization hired him.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n