The Vancouver Canucks' top prospect Braeden Cootes saw his junior season come to a close Friday night as his Prince Albert Raiders lost 7-2 to the Everett Silvertips in Game 5 of the WHL finals. The Silvertips claimed the best-of-seven series 4-1, capturing their first league championship since joining the WHL in 2003-04.
Game Summary
Everett, which posted the WHL's best regular-season record at 57-8-2-1, dominated the playoffs with a 16-2 run. Prince Albert, with the second-best regular-season mark at 52-10-5-1, struggled at home in the postseason, going 7-4 compared to their 26-4-3-1 home record during the regular season.
Cootes, 19, who was selected 15th overall by the Canucks in the 2025 NHL Draft, recorded an assist in the loss. He finished the playoffs with seven goals and 23 points in 20 games. The right-shot centre was acquired by Prince Albert from the Seattle Thunderbirds at the January trade deadline in a blockbuster deal.
Cootes' Season Journey
The 2025-26 season was a winding road for Cootes. He made the Canucks out of training camp, becoming the first 18-year-old to stick with the club since Petr Nedved in 1990-91, and played three games before being reassigned to Seattle. He left the Thunderbirds in December to play for Canada at the world junior championship in Minnesota, and upon his return was traded to Prince Albert.
In the regular season, Cootes combined for 24 goals and 63 points in 45 games between Seattle and Prince Albert. He was named first star of Game 1 of the WHL finals after scoring a goal and adding an assist in a 4-2 Raiders win.
Memorial Cup Bound
Everett advances to the Memorial Cup national tournament, which begins May 22 in Kelowna. They will join the host Kelowna Rockets, the OHL champion Kitchener Rangers, and the winner of the QMJHL finals between Moncton and Chicoutimi. The QMJHL series is tied 3-2 in favor of Chicoutimi heading into Game 6.
The Canucks will have two prospects in the Memorial Cup: forward Gabriel Chiarot (2025 sixth-round pick) with Kitchener, and defenseman Parker Alcos (2024 sixth-round pick) with Kelowna. Kelowna has been idle since April 17 after losing to Everett in the second round. The Rockets finished seventh in the WHL regular season with a 38-21-6-3 record and hope to become the third host team to win the Memorial Cup in the last five years.
The WHL has not won a Memorial Cup since the Edmonton Oil Kings in 2014. Kelowna previously won as hosts in 2004.
