AnalysisNovotny, 18, spent this past season in the OHL and was solidly productive — but not remarkably so — from an age-adjusted perspective. Bruce Bennett / Getty ImagesJune 26, 2026 Updated 10:52 pm EDTThe full scope of the Quinn Hughes return has been finalized.With the 24th pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, utilizing the first-rounder the Vancouver Canucks acquired from the Minnesota Wild for Vancouver’s franchise defender, the Canucks selected Peterborough Petes winger Adam Novotny.Novotny, 18, spent this past season in the OHL and was solidly productive — but not remarkably so — from an age-adjusted perspective. I ranked him No. 24 on my list of the top 32 prospects in the draft.The public scouting industry, however, was relatively higher on Novotny than I was (or than the league itself was). Most of the public scouts and most consolidated scouting lists ranked Novotny in the mid-teens, a reflection of the league’s high regard for Novotny’s shooting ability and athletic tools.
NHL amateur scouts I spoke with view Novotny as a shoot-first winger with great hands and plus acceleration. He’s especially highly valued because of his penchant for being disciplined about working pucks into dangerous scoring areas in the middle of the ice.If there’s one criticism of his game that is occasionally mentioned by professional evaluators breaking down Novotny’s relative strengths and weaknesses, it’s generally been focused on his shot selection. Novotny can seem unguardable when he’s on, and he plays with significant confidence. That can be a double-edged sword, however, and Novotny has a penchant for wasting pucks with hopeful shots that he’s sometimes skilled enough to pull off.If you look through NHL players who were comparably productive at a similar age and height at the OHL level, there’s a fair number of success stories. Among them are similar power wingers such as Nick Foligno, Gabriel Landeskog, Connor McMichael and Ryan Hartman. Novotny’s overall scoring profile is more good than great, but with the 24th selection, the Canucks have found a player who is a clean bet to be a middle-six NHL goal scorer and who has the sort of realistic upside to develop into even more than that.
