Three Kent-based Seattle Thunderbirds players were selected in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, including two in the first round.
The Buffalo Sabres chose defenseman Radim Mrtka with the ninth overall pick in the June 27 draft. The Vancouver Canucks took center Braeden Cootes with the 15th pick and the Chicago Blackhawks picked defenseman Ashton Cumby in the sixth round with the 162nd selection.
All three players will return to the T-Birds for the 2025-2026 Western Hockey League season, said Seattle president Colin Campbell.
Mrtka, 18, of Havlickuv, Czechia, is 6 feet 6 inches tall and weighs 216 pounds. In 43 regular season games with the T-Birds, he had three goals and 32 assists. He added three more assists in six playoff games.
Cootes, 18, of Sherwood Park, Alberta, led the T-Birds in scoring last season with 63 points in 60 games (26 goals, 37 assists). He was the captain of the team. Cootes also captained Team Canada in this year’s International Ice Hockey Federation U18 World Championship, leading the squad to its third straight gold medal.
Cumby, 19, of Bonnyville, Alberta, has suited up 102 games for the T-Birds since his acquisition near the 2024 trade deadline. Cumby has recorded 13 points, (2 goals, 10 assists) with Seattle.
Campbell said there was a chance the Seattle Kraken might draft Mrtka with the eighth overall pick, but the Kraken took center Jake O’Brien from the Brantford Bulldogs of the Ontario Hockey League.
The T-Birds home opener is at 6:05 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 20 at the accesso ShoWare Center in Kent.
Talk to us
Please share your story tips by emailing editor@kentreporter.com.
To share your opinion for publication, submit a letter through our website https://www.kentreporter.com/submit-letter/. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. (We’ll only publish your name and hometown.) Please keep letters to 300 words or less.
