Film Room: How Braeden Cootes difficult season prepped him for an NHL future

Braeden Cootes played the game on hard mode this season.

No cheat codes. High-stakes shifts. And a fierce punishment for mistakes. 

The Seattle Thunderbirds' main offensive and defensive motor, he had to handle the opposition’s top elements, the Berkly Cattons and Andrew Cristalls, and generate scoring chances against them. He played on the penalty kill and the powerplay, acting as the team’s number-one centre.

The arrival of Radim Mrtka helped relieve some of the play-driving burden of Cootes’ shoulders, but it’s still in no small part because of his contribution that the team managed to stay around the 0.500 mark and push toward the playoffs. 

Cootes finished the season with 63 points in 60 games, an average mark for a top draft-eligible talent, but a more than respectable total in the conte