Team Canada has assigned some letters for their first World Junior Summer Showcase game here: C: Braeden Cootes A: Brady Martin A: Carson Carels Cootes captained this age group to U18 Worlds gold and is a hometown kid for the tournament in Edmonton. Would be a nice nod.
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Does Canucks’ prospect Braeden Cootes have inside track to captain Canada at 2027 World Juniors?
Photo credit: © Steven Ellis/The Nation Network
Jul 30, 2026, 13:30 EDTUpdated: Jul 30, 2026, 16:58 EDT
When he suited up for Canada at Wednesday night’s World Junior Summer Showcase against Sweden, Braeden Cootes wasn’t just the top centre on Team Canada’s depth chart. The Vancouver Canucks prospect was also wearing the captain’s C.
Sure, it’s only a late-July game at a quasi-competitive tournament where the outcomes matter far less than individual assessments. But it’s a nice feather in Cootes’ cap nevertheless. And it begs the broader question: does the 19-year-old have the inside track to head up Canada’s leadership group at the 2027 IIHF World Junior Championship in December?
Provided the Canucks release him to play – and it certainly seems like it would be in both the NHL team and its 2025 first round draft pick’s best interest — Cootes appears to be well-positioned to take on the captain’s role.
Of course, plenty can change between now and Christmas time, but consider the fact that Cootes will be a returning player after helping Canada earn a bronze medal at last year’s tournament in Minnesota. So it stands to reason he’ll get strong consideration to wear a letter.
To that point, it’s important to note that he has already captained a Hockey Canada team, leading his squad to a gold medal at the 2025 U-18 championship in Texas a month before he was drafted.
And, as if Cootes’ case needed strengthening, the native of Sherwood Park, AB will be a hometown hero for Canada with this year’s World Juniors being co-hosted by Edmonton and Red Deer.
Cootes posted 63 points in 60 games with Seattle of the Western Hockey League in his draft year. He matched that point total in just 45 games split between Seattle and Prince Albert last season. Cootes then added another 23 points in 20 playoff games for the Raiders.
On top of that, he parlayed a strong showing at his first NHL training camp and preseason into a spot in the Canucks opening night lineup last October. After three early-season games, the Canucks decided to return Cootes to junior. Under the new Canadian Hockey League/National Hockey League agreement, Cootes has the opportunity to play a full season as a 19-year-old in the AHL, which is quite likely the best place for his development. However, with questions about the Canucks’ centre depth, Cootes will likely look to replicate his preseason performance and give his all to break camp with the big league team for a second straight season.
If that doesn’t happen, a few months in the AHL, then a return to the World Juniors seems like a pretty solid fallback option, especially if Braeden Cootes is asked to lead Canada in its quest for the country’s first gold medal since 2023.
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