Canucks Sign Adam Novotny To Entry-Level Contract

The Vancouver Canucks have signed 2026 first-round pick Adam Novotny to a three-year, entry-level contract. The deal will carry a $1.075MM cap hit and include the following bonus structure, per PuckPedia:

Signing the reigning 24th-overall pick before training camp checks an important box for the Vancouver Canucks. Novotny was not expected to pursue college hockey but will now have a chance to fight for an NHL roster spot out of training camp, before his likely reassignment to the OHL’s Peterborough Petes.

Novotny was Peterborough’s engine last year, driving much of the team’s puck movement and scoring. His game was defined by power and control. Those traits helped Novotny generate controlled possession on breakouts, then break past opponents in the neutral zone to generate odd-man rushes. He showed the elusiveness to get off the boards and out of the corners, while also wielding the heavy shot needed to pose a scoring threat.

Novotny used those talents to lead Peterborough with 34 goals and 65 points in 58 games of his rookie OHL season. It was an impressive showing after he moved to North America from Czechia’s Extraliga last summer. Novotny grew through the ranks of his hometown Mountfield HK’s junior program. He was a persistent scorer on the local and international stage – but couldn’t maintain that production through his first taste of pro hockey. Novotny scored just one goal and three points through 41 games in the Extraliga during the 2024-25 season.

That quiet showing made Novotny’s OHL breakout even more impressive. He proved to be a true play-driver, though he still has a tendency for positionless offense and could benefit from using his teammates more. Another season in the OHL will allow Novotny a chance to work on those drawbacks while challenging the league’s scoring leaders. That development could be enough to promote the November-born Novotny to the AHL level in the 2027-28 season, under a recent rule change that allows one 19 year old to be assigned to the minors from each franchise.