Adam Novotný looks like the kind of draft pick that can change the shape of a prospect list fast. The Canucks landed him at 24th overall in the 2026 NHL Draft, and based on where he was projected before draft day, getting him there felt like a major steal.
The 18-year-old left winger brings size at 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds, and he wasted little time making an impression in North America. In his first season with the Peterborough Petes, Novotný finished as the team’s leading scorer with 34 goals and 31 assists for 65 points in 58 games.
What jumps out first is the shot. Novotný’s release is quick, deceptive, and dangerous enough that he doesn’t need much room to make a goalie pay.
He’s especially effective attacking the middle of the ice and off the rush, where he can step into space, fire, and beat the netminder clean. The goal total backs up the eye test.
He’s more than a finisher, though. Opponents have to respect him as a shooting threat, and that creates openings for his passing game. Novotný can make plays for teammates when defenders lean too hard toward the shot.
There’s edge to his game as well. He competes hard, uses his size well on the forecheck, and brings a high-energy style. Even with all that offense, he was trusted in late-game defensive situations for the Petes, which says plenty about how complete his game already is.
Skating is not a problem, but it’s also not the part of his profile that pops. He’s an above-average skater rather than a burner, and that area still has room to grow if he wants to hit his full ceiling.
That ceiling is a big one. Novotný projects as a legit top-six winger who can score 30-plus goals and help on the top power play. At this stage, he looks like the best winger prospect in the Canucks system, and maybe one of only two with that kind of upside.
The floor is still useful NHL value. Even if he doesn’t become that top-end scorer, he could settle in as a third-line winger who adds depth scoring and chips in on a secondary power play unit. His size, skating, and compete give him a path to being effective lower in the lineup.
As for timing, his ETA is one to two years away from playing pro hockey. He’s viewed as one of the most NHL-ready prospects in the organization, and while a training camp or preseason look this year isn’t out of the question, the chance of him actually making the NHL roster as an 18-year-old is very low. If he’s not in Vancouver over the next year or two, Abbotsford is the likely next step, with a possible taste of the NHL as early as next season.
Before that happens, there are still a couple things to sharpen. Decision-making is the biggest one.
It’s not about hockey IQ so much as being more assertive and committing to plays instead of hesitating. He also needs to use his size more often to control shifts and take over offensively.
For now, though, Novotný sits at No. 3 in the CanucksArmy summer prospect rankings because the tools are loud, the production is real, and the upside is hard to ignore.
In Other News...
Canucks Prospects Got A Harsh World Juniors Reality Check
The World Junior Summer Showcase wrapped up in Windsor with a reminder of how thin the margin can be for young players trying to separate themselves. Canada fell 7-2 to the United States at the WFCU Centre, and for the Canucks side of the roster, Braeden Cootes and Caleb Malhotra both finished without a point in the finale as the tournament closed with plenty of evaluation still to do.
For Vancouver, the bigger takeaway may have been the level of competition more than the score itself. American prospect Rogowski lit up the event with three goals, while the showcase also offered a closer look at where the Canucks prospects fit in against elite peers, from their positions to the way they handled the game flow. It was a harsh final snapshot, and the kind that can linger as camp decisions and future roster questions start to come into focus. [Read more 🡒]
Evander Kane Leaves Canucks Fans With One Last Debate
Evander Kane got through a full season with the Canucks, and for a player whose arrival came with plenty of discussion, he ended up giving Vancouver a workable middle-six presence. He finished with 13 goals and 31 points in 71 games, the kind of production that does not dominate a headline but does matter over the grind of a season, especially for a team looking for depth scoring and some edge in the lineup.
Now the question is what comes next, and it is already sounding like Kane may be willing to take a different path to stay in the league. A professional tryout could be in play, with Winnipeg mentioned as a possible landing spot, which would give a club interested in veteran leadership and secondary scoring a low-risk look. For Canucks fans, it leaves one more familiar debate lingering: whether his year was the start of something stable or just a brief stop on the way somewhere else. [Read more 🡒]
Braeden Cootes Is Forcing A Canucks Lineup Debate Already
Braeden Cootes has already done enough in his first year in the organization to make Vancouver think about a decision it probably hoped to put off. The 15th overall pick in the 2025 draft has looked strong in both the NHL and the WHL, and the Canucks now have to weigh how aggressively they want to handle his development heading into the 2026-27 season.
There is no simple answer on the roster side, either. Vancouver can keep Cootes in the NHL or send him to its AHL affiliate, and if he stays up, he is the kind of player who starts pushing for a meaningful role rather than merely filling out the bottom of the lineup. That kind of choice has ripple effects, especially for players like Aatu Rty and Filip Chytil, and it is already turning Cootes into one of the more interesting lineup questions on the Canucks' radar. [Read more 🡒]