Canucks Sign First-Round Pick Adam Novotný to Entry-Level Deal
Vancouver locks up the 24th overall selection from June's draft to a three-year contract.
The Vancouver Canucks have signed forward Adam Novotný to a three-year entry-level contract with a $1.075 million cap hit, the team announced Tuesday. Novotný was selected 24th overall in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft on June 26, Vancouver's second pick of that first round after Caleb Malhotra went third overall, with the 24th selection acquired from Minnesota.
The Czech winger fell further than many expected on draft day. Pre-draft rankings had projected him anywhere from 13th to 26th overall, with most scouts placing him in the late teens. Canucks General Manager Ryan Johnson called the team "extremely lucky" to land Novotný at 24.
"He was a guy that we targeted," Johnson said after the draft. "The way he plays, again, his character, his interview was very well-received. He exudes winner, compete, along with obviously a skill set, the amount of goals he scored, his size, he's already very physically mature, the way he skates."
Novotný, from Kobylice, Czechia, spent last season with Peterborough in the OHL after signing with the Petes in July 2025, scoring 34 goals and adding 31 assists for 65 points in 58 games. He also won silver at the 2026 World Juniors. The Petes had selected him eighth overall in the 2024 CHL Import Draft. Before joining Peterborough, the 18-year-old played professionally in Czechia's top league, Extraliga, appearing in 41 games for Mountfield HK as a 16- and 17-year-old in 2024-25.
The forward models his game after Mason McTavish, who also played for Peterborough before reaching the NHL. Like McTavish, now with the St. Louis Blues, Novotný combines size with offensive skill and a competitive edge.
"Honestly, I didn't have any expectations from the draft, but as it was getting closer to the 24th pick and I knew the Canucks were there, so I had like a little bit of an inside feeling," Novotný said at development camp. "I'm happy it worked out this way, because it's such a great organization and I'm so happy to be here."
