The Vancouver Canucks have locked up one of their 2026 first-round picks.
Forward Adam Novotny signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Canucks on Tuesday, the team announced.
The Canucks selected Novotny with the 24th overall pick in this summer's NHL Draft.
Vancouver acquired the pick as part of the package that sent Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild.
“Character, compete and a winning mentality, those are three of the things we really appreciate about Adam’s DNA,” said Canucks GM Ryan Johnson said in a statement. “It was a small sample size, but he showed us a lot at our development camp last month in Abbotsford. Besides his strong skating, puck control, and quick release, Adam was relentless in his pursuit of the puck and battled very hard in each drill. A coachable and honest player, his leadership qualities were also noticeable, and you could tell right away how committed he is to try to do thigs the right way. We are very excited to have Adam sign his ELC and we look forward to working with him in the years to come.”
The 18-year-old Novotny spent last season with the OHL's Petes, where he became just the fourth player in franchise history to record a 30-plus goal, 65-plus point campaign in their draft-eligible season.
Across 58 games, the Hradec Kralove, Czechia native had 32 goals and 65 points, adding one assist in six playoff games.
He twice represented Czechia in the world junior championships, in 2025 and 2026, and earned bronze and silver, respectively. In 2026, Novotny had three assists in seven games en route to the country's second-ever silver medal.
Caleb Malhotra, son of new Canucks head coach Manny Malhotra, was the team's other first-round selection at No. 3. Malhotra has not signed his entry-level contract with the club yet.
VAN