It’s a long haul, moving for Seattle to Prince Albert, but for Braeden Cootes it already feels like home.
The Prince Albert Raiders centre was the biggest piece on the board when WHL GM’s made their moves leading up to the league’s trade deadline. Cootes said moving to Prince Albert is a change … but not by a lot.
“I love it,” Cootes said. “I mean, I’m from Sherwood Park, Alta, and Sherwood Park’s a little bigger, but it looks, honestly, the same. It feels like home, honestly.
“In Seattle, I liked it there, but the snow and just living in Canada I’ve actually liked quite a bit, and the fans are awesome.”
Cootes had some idea of what he was getting into when the Raiders and Seattle Thunderbirds met during Prince Albert’s western road swing back in November. The Raiders won 5-4 in overtime on a Brayden Dube goal.
Cootes said back then it was apparent Prince Albert had something special, to he was excited to hear about the trade.
“When I played them this year in Seattle they were a really good team,” he said. “They were coached really well. The coach here is awesome and they’re just such a tight group and have a lot of depth, so I was pretty excited when I got the news.”
Cootes wasted little time acclimatizing to his new surroundings. On Friday, he suited up in the team’s 6-1 win over the Swift Current Broncos, and recorded his first two points—a goal and assist—in the team’s 5-3 loss to Edmonton on Saturday.
Although he would have preferred a win to go along with his first goal as a Raider, Cootes said he was happier with his play on Saturday.
“That was a lot better day,” he said in a post-game interview. “Yesterday (Friday) it was kind of a crazy day, getting here and just trying to get going. Today (Saturday) it kind of felt more normal, just a normal game day, have a normal sleep and a nap. It felt better out there, so it was nice to get the first one.”
The Cootes trade is one of several GM Curtis Hunt made since the season started. Earlier in the year he picked up wingers Brandon Gorzynski from the Calgary Hitmen, and Maddix McCagherty from the Wenatchee Wild.
Those acquisitions have made an already strong Raiders squad into one of the deepest in the WHL.
As of Tuesday, the Raiders have a stranglehold on the WHL’s East Division, and sit just three points back of the Central Division-leading Medicine Hat Tigers for first in the Eastern Conference. The Raiders have two games in hand on the Tigers heading into Tuesday night’s game against the Brandon Wheat Kings.
Cootes said it’s clear the Prince Albert Raiders have championship aspirations, and he’s confident the team has what it takes to make a deep playoff run.
“I think the sky’s the limit, honestly,” Cootes said. “We can do anything we put our minds too. I think we can go all the way. Just being here for 40 hours or 30 or whatever it’s been, guys are dialed in, man. They know what they want, and they want to win badly.”
The Raiders took at the Brandon Wheat Kings at the Art Hauser Centre on Tuesday. The results were not available by press time.
The Raiders are back on the ice Friday when they open a two-game Alberta road trip against the Lethbridge Hurricanes. Puck drop is 8 p.m. local time at VisitLethbridge.com Arena.
