He was a bit of a quieter presence but made some high level plays when it mattered. He showed good bursts of speed to slice through layers on the rush and was moving pucks positively without hesitation. He got some high-danger chances off the rush and set up a big goal from the corner by winning a puck battle and finding his player in front. Effective.

I think you’d hope that all players have the same understanding of puck control that Braeden Cootes has. In the games I saw, he was able to change pace, slow down the tempo, stop and re-evaluate, turn his back to the player to protect the puck, drag pucks through to the end of his reach, and literally spin in circles to evade pressure and continue puck possession. From touch passes, timed passes, and everything in between, Braedan turns low-danger situations into high-danger situations constantly. He worked the half-wall on the PP by either slinging wrist shots on the net after driving into space, or using his movement and drop passes to the point to make space for others. I think Braeden can continue to work on the form of his skating stride to try and maximize the power in each push as that will help him separate with speed off the rush and utilize his puck control at the highest of paces. If you’re looking for flash, flair, and efficiency, you get that in Mr. Cootes.