Vancouver Canucks shakes things up, Braeden Cootes heads elsewhere in massive deal

Blockbuster WHL trade: Canucks top prospect Braeden Cootes moves to Prince Albert Raiders

Vancouver Canucks top prospect and Team Canada World Juniors standout Braeden Cootes has been traded by the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds to the Prince Albert Raiders in a major five-player deal.

Cootes, along with 2nd, 4th, and 6th round picks, heads to Prince Albert in exchange for Ethan Bibeau, Knox Burton, Tripp Fischer, Diego Guitierrez, two 1st round picks, a 2nd round pick, and a 3rd round pick.

The 18-year-old forward has been in fine form recently, scoring two goals in seven games for Canada at the World Junior Championships. He returned to Seattle just days ago and had already tallied 10 goals and 23 points in 17 games this season. Cootes also had a brief three-game stint with the Canucks to start the season.

“Trading a player like Braeden is never easy,” Thunderbirds GM Bil LaForge said in a statement. “We gave it a lot of thought, but with him likely to be in the AHL or NHL next year, it made sense to acquire players with more term and help strengthen our team this season.”

Cootes, a first-round, 15th overall pick by Vancouver in the 2025 NHL Draft, became the third-youngest player in Canucks history to make his NHL debut, and he remains one of the organization’s most highly regarded prospects.