“A BU commit and the son of Vancouver Canucks head coach and former NHLer Manny Malhotra, Caleb is a well-rounded center like his dad who impressed scouts and folks around the OHL with the immediate impact he made on a deep Bulldogs team last season, elevating at big events, in big games and into an outstanding playoffs.

“Malhotra is already a very mature player, with good stick detail and sound and reliable habits at an early age. He plays with pace, skates well, puts himself in good spots and has an advanced feel for the game. He plays the game with a ton of poise, holding onto pucks and finding his way out of trouble with smart decisions over it. He has legit hands. He has shown more and more individual skill and has a real knack for making little plays with possession. He’ll go to the front of the net and competes every shift. He’s also a summer birthday with clear physical development ahead of him. He needs to fill out his frame, and his shot doesn’t come off hard, but those things should come and already have, and he has the rest of the tools needed to become a winning top-six center.”

“Cootes is a well-liked, well-rounded, all situations center and leader who has been a go-to player in his age group over the years.

“He’s a strong skater who plays with energy and detail, earning the trust of coaches with his diligent, complete game. He’s a good athlete. He plays with determination as a good penalty killer and five-on-five driver. He plays the bumper on the power play well because of his nose for the net and competitiveness to get to pucks. He gets open and has an NHL wrister and release. He always seems to be lurking around the slot and involved in everything. He works and makes little plays, arriving on time in good spots. He’s just a smart, well-rounded center.

“I’ve wondered about whether he has enough skill to become a top-six type, but he also confidently projects as a top-nine NHLer. His U18s sold me a little more on his skill, and there was a lack of talent around him in Seattle, but the World Juniors also showed that against top competition he can struggle to make an impact offensively; his production has never been high-end and he’s average-sized. He has secondary skill and can make plays, though, even if it’s not the focal point of his game. I’m a little lower on him than where he was picked in last year’s draft, but his combination of work ethic, smarts, competitiveness and reliability should result in a long career in the league.”