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F Braeden Cootes - Seattle Thunderbirds, WHL (2025 Draft)

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Not only that but the criteria for this list is that 3/10 scouts had to have a player ranked top 16 to make the cut.
 
Right now I'd have him as more a 2nd heading into the year as he needs to grow his offense to justify a 1st for me but he's a old school 200ft hard to play against player. A high floor but not super high ceiling based off last year. Good bet to be a nhler the question is if it'll only be as a bottom 6 guy or if he can develop his offense to maybe end up a 2nd liner in the NHL. We'll see how he does this year as lots of players make big jumps from their draft -1 to draft year. Promising player though
 
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MichaelFarrell said:
You love seeing this. He literally won the puck after batting four players!

That type of motor and drive to get the puck is one of my absolute favor traits in young hockey players.
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I think it's the least teachable attribute. Either you're comfortable battling for pucks, or you're not. That type of player translates well to the NHL, where soft play will be punished. Guys like Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, or Brady Martin, or Cootes, have that instinctive will to fight for pucks. It's great to watch.
 
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From what I’ve seen so far, I think he’s probably the best defensive forward I’ve seen this draft. I think Victor Eklund is certainly up there, but Cootes is a great player to watch.

Braeden Cootes is the first line center on the Seattle Thunderbirds. He is a player that is put in all situations. It is a bit rare to see such a young player play such a team-oriented game. He is one of the hardest working players I’ve seen this year and he is certainly the most unselfish. Braeden Cootes’ decision making in the defensive zone is outstanding. He is all over the ice, he’s like a wet blanket on his opposition, and he seems to know where the puck is going to go. It’s extremely important for the opposition to avoid lazy passes or stupid mistakes in the offensive zone because Cootes will make them pay. He is extremely engaged every time he steps on the ice and is looking to take the puck away from the opponents. In the offensive zone, Cootes is much more a playmaker. He is looking to se opponents up, set up tip shots, and go to the dirty areas for puck retrievals. He thrives below the dots. He is the not most skilled player offensively, but he outworks opponents and has the overall hockey sense to be an effective player offensively.

Cootes is still a raw player despite his obvious understanding of how the game should be played. He has good mobility but will be a much more effective player if he continues to work on his first-step acceleration. He will also need to bulk up to truly implement his game at the next level. Cootes’ offensive ceiling is not certain. While he’s clearly a coachable player, he doesn’t possess true one-on-one skill with the puck. He needs to get better with the puck on his stick and improve his overall puck possession ability. He is a bit of a project, but he’s the type of player you’d certainly want in your system.

Cootes could project as an up and down the lineup winger that can provide energy, defensive responsibility, and secondary offense. While he could become a center due to his mobility and defensive zone IQ, I think it’s far more likely that he will be a winger at the NHL level. I think he’s certainly a 1st round pick in this draft and would love to have him on my team.
 
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superdeluxe said:
FYI has 10 points in last 5 games.. he and the birds are starting to make some noise
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I've watched 2 of those games, one where they lost against Kelowna and another that they lucked-out and won against Everett despite being severely outplayed in my opinion.

The Thunderbirds have been quietly "surging back" of late statistically and record-wise, at least compared to their paltry record so far, but the eye-test tells another story; one of a pretty lackluster team that is still generally getting outchanced by their opponents nearly every game but that has finally started getting some favorable lucky bounces to go their way to capitalize on offense and get some wins.

As far as Cootes' play in this stretch, well, he's been very good actually and definitely has been elevating his draft stock some in my opinion.

But while I would definitely say that Cootes' statline before that stretch did not do his offensive skills justice, that he'd have much more success on a better team. The 2PPG pace that he has set in the last 5 games is not really representative of what Cootes shows on a nightly basis either as an offensive player.

I say that, but I still really like Braeden Cootes' tools as a player, his speed, his shot, his underrated playmaking and play selection.

I actually think Braeden Cootes could be a quality second-line player for the team that drafts him, with excellent skating ability, and a nice package of core skills, but also some pretty good rush ability and two-way play.

Personally, I'd have Cootes just outside the top-15 right now, but Cootes is one of those players to keep an eye on going forward because he shows a lot of very projectable attributes for the NHL game that should see him have some level of success in the future if he's developped well.
 
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JadedRandom said:
I've watched 2 of those games, one where they lost against Kelowna and another that they lucked-out and won against Everett despite being severely outplayed in my opinion.

The Thunderbirds have been quietly "surging back" of late statistically and record-wise, at least compared to their paltry record so far, but the eye-test tells another story; one of a pretty lackluster team that is still generally getting outchanced by their opponents nearly every game but that has finally started getting some favorable lucky bounces to go their way to capitalize on offense and get some wins.

As far as Cootes' play in this stretch, well, he's been very good actually and definitely has been elevating his draft stock some in my opinion.

But while I would definitely say that Cootes' statline before that stretch did not do his offensive skills justice, that he'd have much more success on a better team. The 2PPG pace that he has set in the last 5 games is not really representative of what Cootes shows on a nightly basis either as an offensive player.

I say that, but I still really like Braeden Cootes' tools as a player, his speed, his shot, his underrated playmaking and play selection.

I actually think Braeden Cootes could be a quality second-line player for the team that drafts him, with excellent skating ability, and a nice package of core skills, but also some pretty good rush ability and two-way play.

Personally, I'd have Cootes just outside the top-15 right now, but Cootes is one of those players to keep an eye on going forward because he shows a lot of very projectable attributes for the NHL game that should see him have some level of success in the future if he's developped well.
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I would wager if Cootes is on the board and the Habs are picking outside the top 9; he may very well be their pick.
 
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WeThreeKings said:
I would wager if Cootes is on the board and the Habs are picking outside the top 9; he may very well be their pick.
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There would be tons of other options available that would be interesting too if we pick 10-18; Spence, Carbonneau, O'Brien, Cootes, Bear, Lakovic, and more.

This is really not nearly as weak a draft as some say.
 
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JadedRandom said:
There would be tons of other options available that would be interesting too if we pick 10-18; Spence, Carbonneau, O'Brien, Cootes, Bear, Lakovic, and more.

This is really not nearly as weak a draft as some say.
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I actually think this is a decent draft, i do not understand why people say it is weak unless they are referring to depth but i even find the 2nd round decent.
 
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scoutman1 said:
I actually think this is a decent draft, i do not understand why people say it is weak unless they are referring to depth but i even find the 2nd round decent.
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This.

There are 15 prospects I love (12-13 I actually want in my Top 10), and these 15 players don't even include very good prospects such as Mrtka, Frondell, Carbonneau, Hensler, Aitcheson, Schmidt, Martin, Potter, Fiddler, etc.

I think many people still underestimate guys like Cootes, Kindel, Smith, Reid, Spence, Eklund, O'Brien, Lakovic, etc.

And many tend to forget McQueen and Amico even exist, or how dominant Misa and Martone have been.

And there are many bounceback candidates as well : Ryabkin, Ihs-Wozniak, Moore, Guité, Huang, Trethewey...

And guys like Brzustewicz, Nilson, Vansaghi, Gastrin, Murtagh, etc.

This is not a weak draft class, imho.
 
Pavel Buchnevich said:
Where I struggle with this draft is the middle of the first round. Outside of that, I can buy it’s an exciting draft. I think it’s missing those B tier players, even if the A, C, D, etc. are there.
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Agree. Seems like an utter crapshoot from the fringes of the lottery to pick 25 or so (when all drafts feel like they being to flatten off).

Don’t necessarily buy the “weak” draft argument this year either.
 
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