Adam Novotny doesn't look like he's sulking about his return to junior hockey.
The Vancouver Canucks first-round pick scored two goals in a 25-second span in the first period and added two assists to lead the Peterborough Petes to a 7-4 win over the visiting Sarnia Sting on Thursday in OHL action.
Novotny, picked 24th overall by the Canucks this year, was making his OHL season debut after being returned to the Petes earlier this week.
“Adam is going to be one of the most dominant, premier players in our league,” Petes head coach Rob Wilson told Mike Davies of the Peterborough Examiner. “I don’t think that’s a surprise for anybody. Going out and getting a couple of goals for us kind of got us going.”
The six-foot-one winger is expected to be a key player for Czechia at the 2027 world junior championship in Alberta this holiday season.
Novotny had three assists in the 2026 event to help Czechia win silver.
After being picked by the Petes eighth overall in the 2024 CHL Import Draft, Novotny reported to Peterborough last season and had 34 goals and 31 assists for 65 points in 58 games.
Novotny started this season on a line with Detroit Red Wings prospect Adam Levac and University of Michigan commit Cooper Dennis, who was acquired in a big deal with the Brantford Bulldogs this off-season.
“We couldn’t have a better first game,” said Novotny. “I think we can be a really, really strong line. I’m so excited to play with those guys. We can do a lot of great things.”
Novotny is expected to be the only NHL first-round pick in the OHL's Eastern Conference this season.
