Building Blue: Braeden Cootes Speaks on his Relationship with Sedins and Upcoming WHL Playoffs

The 2025-26 season has been a whirlwind for Braeden Cootes, who now finds himself on the WHL’s Eastern Conference-leading Prince Albert Raiders as they have their eyes set on a deep run in the playoffs.  

Cootes was captaining the Seattle Thunderbirds earlier this season before heading off to the World Junior Championships. On his way back to the WHL following the tournament, he was traded to the Raiders, who have been one of the strongest teams in the WHL this season.  

“We’ve got such a good team here,” said Cootes, when speaking about his Raiders squad that holds a 44-8-5 record.  

“We just have a lot of really good players, maybe not the biggest household names, but the culture here is really good. We have good depth, we roll all four lines, we’re hard to play against, and we all play for each other.”  

The 19-year-old centre has been feeling good about how his game is fitting in with the Raiders since they paid a heavy price to acquire him in early January. Cootes’ game revolved around him being a high-energy player, and that is fitting in well with the Raiders’ gameplan of rolling four lines and sending wave after wave of attacks on their opposition.

Cootes has 10 goals and 17 assists for 27 points in 21 games with the Raiders. Since joining his new club, they have gone 17-3-1 with Cootes in the lineup.  

“It’s special here. When you get traded, you want to go to a good team, obviously. And I was lucky enough to get to go to PA, and I think we have a chance here. It’s the culture, how hard everyone works, and everyone’s bought in. So, it’s pretty special to be around,” said Cootes.  

There is an excitement in Prince Albert about what this team can accomplish in the playoffs, but Cootes says the group is still very much focused on a day-by-day mentality. They are trying to build as a team and peak in the playoffs.  

“It’s pretty hard not to get excited when you have a team like this. We know that these next couple of months ahead are going to be really exciting,” said Cootes. “But we’re taking it day by day and just trying to keep getting better.”  

When it comes to individual development, Cootes finds that his time with the Raiders has been helpful because he has a great staff around him and the culture of always wanting to improve is in the DNA of this year’s team. Cootes mentioned that he is really trying to improve every part of his game, but specifically his shooting, passing, and finding new ways to create offence and score.

Another part of his game that he feels has grown a lot during his time with PA is his work in the faceoff dot. The centres do a lot of video work on faceoffs, and Cootes credits Assistant Coach Cole Bell, who runs faceoff meetings ahead of every game and works with the players before and after practice on their skills in the dot.  

On top of the Raiders’ coaching staff, Cootes has a lot of support from Daniel and Henrik Sedin. The Sedins have visited Cootes in both Seattle and Saskatchewan this season, and having the support of two Hall of Fame players is something that Cootes does not take lightly.  

“I’m, for sure, pretty spoiled [with the Sedins]. I don’t know any other NHL team that has that luxury. I’m sure other NHL development coaches are great, but to have those two hockey minds in amazing,” said Cootes.  

“Even during my time in the NHL this year, all the young guys would spend 20-30 minutes after practice with them. We would be doing skills, which is a privilege. It’s pretty cool that we have that resource.”  

Cootes mentioned that he has a group chat with Daniel and Henrik, where they tell him things to work on, what he is doing well, and though they want Cootes to do his own thing, the help and guidance from the twins is something that the Vancouver Canucks’ 2025 first-round pick is making sure to take full advantage of.   

On top of everything that is going well for Cootes with his new club, he is very happy with the billet family he is living with. Cootes spent three seasons with Seattle, and the move out to Saskatchewan was a momentous change in his life, but the family he is living with has made that change one he has thoroughly enjoyed.  

“I’ve loved to get to know my billets. That’s where you’re living, and they have been so awesome to me; they are next-level amazing,” said Cootes. “They take really good care of me, the food is unreal, the house is great, and I am so comfortable here now, it’s great.”  

One night that sticks out to Cootes was his birthday dinner that his billet family had for him. It was a steak and baked potato dinner that Cootes says would be hard to beat.  

So yes, Cootes’ 2025-26 season has been a bit of a whirlwind. But those winds have calmed, and he now finds himself in a wonderful spot with a rock-solid living situation, the support of Daniel and Henrik Sedin, and a thriving Raiders organization with a strong culture.  

The next couple of months are going to be fun to watch as Cootes makes a push for a WHL championship and the chance to play in this year’s Memorial Cup.