Cootes draws comparisons to Brayden Schenn ahead of 2025 NHL Draft

The 2025 Upper Deck NHL Draft will be held June 27-28 at L.A. Live's Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. The first round will be June 27 (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS) and Rounds 2-7 are June 28 (Noon ET; NHLN, ESPN+, SN, SN1). NHL.com is counting down to the draft with in-depth profiles on top prospects, podcasts and other features. Today, a profile on Seattle center Braeden Cootes. Full draft coverage can be found here.

Braeden Cootes has heard a lot of words used to describe his play.

Relentless. Dynamic. High energy. Compete.

In his eyes, the skill level he possesses seems to be the underrated part of his game.

"I think a lot of people focus on my compete level and my 200-foot game," Cootes said. "Just the way I play, I'm not always fishing for offense so maybe I don’t have the most points as some other guys. But I think my skill level and my offensive abilities [are underrated]."

He certainly did produce offensively, leading Seattle with 63 points (26 goals, 37 assists) in 60 Western Hockey League games. He then led the team in the WHL playoffs with eight points (two goals, six assists) in six games.

"He's another guy that just does everything well," NHL Central Scouting senior western scout John Williams said. "He can play in the middle, he can play on the wing. I saw him play both this year. Highly competitive. ... High IQ, competitive two-way guy who can play anywhere up and down your lineup.

"I get a little bit of Brayden Schenn, that kind of a player. Come playoff time you'd love to have that guy on your roster."

Cootes projects as a responsible two-way center in the NHL. He tends to take care of his zone first, using his hockey sense to proactively shut down opposing players. He also is not afraid of using his physicality, with compete in board battles and aggressive forechecking closing down offensive threats.

He looks at the playing styles of Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brayden Point and Carolina Hurricanes forward Logan Stankoven for inspiration. They get described in the same way Cootes does.

"Those kind of right-shot guys with skill and just play the right way and compete really hard," Cootes said. "Can play on the penalty kill, the power play, really any situation."

Cootes (5-foot-11, 186 pounds) is No. 20 on Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters.

"[He] just plays to the identity that we want our players to have," Seattle coach Matt O'Dette said. "The way he prepares, the way he practices, the way he plays on the ice. He's a 200-foot player, he cares about his own end. Just super high-end compete and a great teammate as well. So it kind of exemplifies the type of player that we want to have on our team, and just a high-character guy with high-end skill that you can win with."

Cootes was named Seattle captain this season when he was still 17 (he turned 18 on Feb. 9), making him the youngest captain in the WHL this season.

"He's been excellent [this year]," O'Dette said. "To me, the way to describe him is just a hockey player. If you look up hockey player in the dictionary, it's him. Just a guy with high-end skill and high-end compete to go with it. That's just a rare combination nowadays. There's a reason why we made him our captain at 17."

That leadership ability and lead-by-example style led to Cootes being named captain for Canada at the 2025 IIHF World Under-18 Championship. He led Canada with 12 points (six goals, six assists) in seven games and won 71.8 percent of his face-offs to help Canada win the gold medal.

Cootes said Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby is someone he looks up to for his leadership qualities. His demeanor, though, comes across a little more like Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid.

"I think I’m a bit similar," he said. "I may not be the loudest guy, I kind of just lead by example and do all the little things right. I speak up when I have to."

O'Dette said Cootes' willingness to speak up is something that grew throughout the season.

"He's always commanded a ton of respect from his teammates. In junior hockey, you command a lot of respect with your skill level but he also commands it with his compete," O'Dette said. "Just the way he practices and the way he competes and plays every day, he leads by example that way. But as he's gotten more comfortable in this leadership role, you're seeing more vocal leadership. He's a guy that, when he speaks, guys are going to listen to him."