Vancouver Canucks 2025 first-round draft Braeden Cootes sat out Team Canada’s three exhibition games at the world junior summer camp in Minneapolis last week with an undisclosed injury.

Canada coach Dale Hunter told NHL.com’s Adam Kimelman that Cootes was among three players sidelined with “light stuff, not heavy stuff,” and Kimelman referred to the 18-year-old Seattle Thunderbirds centre as missing action because he was “banged up.”

There’s been no update on his status from the Canucks. It’s unclear whether he was injured at camp or this is a nagging issue.

Vancouver picked Cootes at No. 15 overall back in June and signed the 6-foot, 185-pound right-handed shot to his three-year, entry level contract some 10 days later.

Canada lost 6-3 to Finland and 8-4 to Sweden before beating th

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