Photo credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Braeden Cootes gives Adam Foote one more reason to watch Prince Albert closely after his Brad Hornung Memorial Trophy nomination.
That award doesn’t go to a passenger. It goes to a player who can produce, stay disciplined, and drive games without taking himself out of the play.
For Vancouver, this lands at the right time. The Canucks need signs that their next wave has real bite, and Cootes keeps giving them one.
He finished the regular season with 24 goals and 63 points in 45 WHL games split between Seattle and Prince Albert. That kind of jump after a midseason move gets attention fast.
The trade to Prince Albert didn’t slow him down. It sharpened the picture, because he put up 14 goals and 26 assists in 28 games with the Raiders.
Now the playoffs are adding more heat to it. Through the first four games of Prince Albert’s opening-round series, Cootes scored 2 goals and 6 points while the Raiders built a 3-1 lead.
This is the kind of prospect run Vancouver needed
Cootes was already a big piece of the pipeline as Vancouver’s 15th overall pick in the 2025 draft. What’s changed is the way the season has tightened his case.
It’s not just the raw offense. A sportsmanship nomination tells you he’s handling major minutes without drifting into bad penalties or sloppy decisions.
That matters for a center. Vancouver don’t need another junior scorer who has to be protected every shift. They need a player who can be trusted in traffic, on draws, and away from the puck.
The Prince Albert stop has helped that case too. In a playoff push, Cootes hasn’t been tucked away on the margins. He’s been right in the middle of a contender that believes it can chase the 2026 Memorial Cup.
That’s why this nomination carries weight beyond a nice headline. It backs up the idea that Cootes is moving from promising prospect to one of the first names Vancouver fans should track every night.
And for a Canucks organization still trying to build out its next core, that’s the real story here. Braeden Cootes isn’t just having a strong junior season. He’s forcing his way into the bigger conversation.
Previously on Vancouver Hockey Daily
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