Vancouver Canucks' top prospect dealt in late-morning CHL trade
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Daniel Lucente
Jan 5, 2026 (1:44 PM)
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Photo credit: Edit from The Hockey News
Canucks top prospect Braeden Cootes has been traded in the CHL by the Seattle Thunderbirds to the Prince Albert Raiders in a late-morning deal.
The larger narrative surrounding Vancouver Canucks prospects has been what will happen to Braeden Cootes as he approaches the trade deadline of January 8th in the WHL.
This morning led to a trade that happened as Cootes was dealt from the Seattle Thunderbirds to the Prince Albert Raiders, which was announced by Canucks insider Rick Dhaliwal.
What Braeden Cootes has done so far this season in the WHL
Cootes, who is Vancouver's 2025 first-round pick at 15th overall and was also Seattle's captain for the second year running, amassed 10 goals and 23 points in 17 contests prior to departing for the World Juniors with Team Canada.
Seattle's general manager, Bill La Forge, praised the talents of Cootes, while hinting that a possible trade-off might yield a great return.
Why we can expect a big return for Braeden Cootes
He gave the example of the trade involving the Kelowna Rockets in the previous season, where that team gave away Andrew Cristall in exchange for a package of picks and a player. We have yet to know the return for Cootes at the moment.
Cootes previously skated in three contests with Vancouver at the start of this year's season.
There is still a chance for him to remain in the Canucks NHL/AHL system during the next season due to the new rules of letting 19-year-old prospects in the CHL participate full-time in the American Hockey League.
This move happens just as the WHL prepares for its trade deadline, as the battle in the Western Conference has become a very competitive one, with many teams having games in hand.
It happens at a time when Canada has bowed out of the World Juniors, allowing trades to be formally confirmed.
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| POLL | ||
JANVIER 5 | 144 ANSWERS Vancouver Canucks' top prospect dealt in late-morning CHL trade Will Braeden Cootes be a star for the Canucks one day? | ||
| Yes | 96 | 66.7 % |
| No | 48 | 33.3 % |
| List of polls | ||