The Vancouver Canucks could be without their most recent first-round pick to begin training camp.
Forward Braeden Cootes, who was selected 15th overall by the Canucks at the 2025 NHL Draft, exited the team’s prospects game against the Seattle Kraken in Everett on Saturday night and will not return.
It’s unclear if he suffered an injury, but the centre did not come out with the rest of the team for the third period.
Cootes signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Canucks on July 3. The Sherwood Park, Alta., native has spent three seasons with the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds, the most recent of which he was captain.
In 2024-25, Cootes had 63 points (26 goals, 37 assists) in 60 regular-season games and added eight points in six playoff games.
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