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Braeden Cootes exits with injury as Canucks prospects fall 5-3 to Kraken
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Photo credit: © Tav Morisson-CanucksArmy
Dave Hall
Sep 14, 2025, 02:32 EDTUpdated: Sep 14, 2025, 02:35 EDT
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Vancouver Canucks hockey is back.
At least somewhat.
The team’s prospects were in action for the inaugural Prospect Showcase matchup against the Seattle Kraken prospects.
Game 1 was hosted at the Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett, Washington.
With a slow and sloppy opening period, a rejuvenated second period, and a blown lead in the third, boy, did it ever feel like Vancouver Canucks hockey.

Vancouver Canucks lineup

Alriksson – Cootes – Lekkerimäki
Bloom – Patterson – Chiarot
Kunz – Dervin – Berard
Poisson – Walker – Oreskovic
Petterson – Willander
Mynio – Kudryavtsev
Arnssten – Alcos
Medvdev
Captains: Jonathan Lekkerimäki (A), Kirill Kudryavtsev (A) and Cooper Walker (A)

Seattle Kraken lineup

First period

The Canucks came out with energy, resulting in a few standard hits in the neutral zone and off the rush.
Otherwise, it was filled with various unnecessary giveaways and sloppy play, particularly from the team’s backend.
Despite being a sturdy blueline, one of the sturdiest you’ll see in a prospect game, giveaways and errand passes were a storyline through the first 20 minutes.
But let’s be real, it’s game one of the mid-September slate. Rust is expected and bound to play a factor.
Riley Patterson picked up what was likely the team’s best scoring opportunity in the frame, taking a Parker Alcos feed after a slow change from the Kraken blueline. He rang off a heavy slapshot, which was gloved down by the Kraken netminder, Nikke Kokko.
Although his play did not amount to any offensive looks in the first period, Vilmer Alriksson was likely the Canucks’ best skater in the period. Thanks to a few potent finished checks using his heavier-than-most frame, he was a bright spot in Everett.
Late in the period, the Kraken appeared to have opened the scoring courtesy of a follow-up rebound from Berkly Catton. Aleksei Medvedev got a piece of the initial shot, before Catton managed to tuck one under the bar – or so we thought.
The referees had the perfect look, and after a quick review, the play was deemed no goal.
Despite a less-than-stellar opening period, the Canucks walked away unscathed with a 0-0 slate.
“You can kind of chalk that up to summertime, getting the rust out and just feeling their way through the process.” Head Coach Manny Malhotra reflected on the poor start after the game.
Shots: VAN 4, SEA 10

Second period

Was it something Manny Malhotra said in the dressing room?
Whatever it was, it worked.
The Canucks awoke in the middle frame, turning those hits into sustained pressure.
Medvedev, who was one of the (CanucksArmy) stars of the game, got things started with his first, of a few, 10-bell saves. Unfortunately, it came thanks to sloppy defensive play by Tom Willander and Elias Pettersson, who left two Kraken forwards uncontested in the slot.
The Russian netminder showcased his athleticism, sliding over to get his blocker on the puck and keep the game scoreless.
Then, Vilmer Alriksson showed up.
The towering Swede was one of, if not the best, skaters at last year’s prospect event, and tonight, he doubled down on that sentiment.
After taking the game’s first penalty for what we are calling two minutes for being big – it was a holding penalty – he went down the ice to deliver a patented puck protection move, utilizing his length to will it past Kokko to open the scoring.
It was a power move, kicked off by a beautiful feed from Jonathan Lekkerimäki. Braeden Cootes picked up the secondary assist for his first unofficial point as a member of the Vancouver Canucks.
It didn’t take long for the Canucks to double their lead.
In fact, as the building was announcing their initial goal, Gabe Chiarot (2025 sixth round, 175th overall) collected the puck from the top of the circles and fired home his first (unofficial) goal as a member of the Canucks.
Later in the period, another 2025 draftee contributed to the scoring, as Kieren Dervin (2025 third round, 65th overall) worked hard in the corner to dish out the puck before finding Elias Pettersson cross ice.
Without hesitation, the Swedish rearguard found Nick Poisson, a 24-year-old invitee, with the perfect back-door tap-in to triple the team’s lead.
And just like that, the Canucks were off to the races after a slow opening period.
At the other end, Aleksei Medvedev was holding up his end of the bargain.
The Kraken finally beat him for their first goal of the weekend, but it wasn’t without another tremendous effort from the netminder.
After tracking the first shot, he sprawled out to rob Jani Nyman of the rebound. Unfortunately, Jagger Firkus managed to pounce on the rebound to shovel it past the London Knight goaltender, who was hardly to blame after a tremendous effort.
After a slow start, the Canucks found a spark for a much-improved period and a two-goal lead heading into the final frame.
Shots: VAN 15, SEA 23

Third period

The big news of the third period was the absence of their 2025 first-rounder, Braeden Cootes. While details of his absence were vague, there were a few plays in the second period where he was tangled up that could have resulted in a tweak.
“Well, it’s just that time of year,” Malhotra responded when asked about Cootes’ absence. “There are always bumps and bruises and precautionary reasons. We don’t want to push anything, so he left the game and we’ll evaluate and see how he feels tomorrow.”
Back on the ice, the wheels were in the midst of falling off.
The Kraken scored four unanswered goals in the third period to mount the comeback to defeat the Canucks prospects by a 5-3 score.
Despite a late push, which included a last-minute power play, the Kraken sealed the game with an empty net goal to finish off the comeback to drop Game 1 of the two-game set.
Final shots: Unknown
The Vancouver Canucks prospects will take on the Seattle Kraken prospects for Game 2 of the Prospect Showdown on Sunday afternoon. Puck is set to drop at 4:00 pm PT at the Kraken Community Iceplex.

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