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31 days, 31 questions: What are the chances Adam Novotný makes Canucks roster out of first NHL training camp?
Photo credit: © Tav Morisson-CanucksArmy
Aug 29, 2026, 14:39 EDT
As they embark on their rebuild, the Vancouver Canucks have to be willing to carve a path for any and all young players who show promise.
The likes of Zeev Buium, Tom Willander and Aatu Räty are expected to feature prominently in the Canucks lineup this season, while Jonathan Lekkerimäki, if fully recovered from season-ending shoulder surgery, figures to be put in a position to succeed as well. Then there is a player like Adam Novotný who has a chance to turn heads at his first National Hockey League training camp next month. The club’s second pick – 24th overall – in June’s draft certainly has the potential to play his way into the club’s early season plans. For a variety of reasons, it’s highly unlikely that the 18-year-old will make the club and stick for the entire season. Ultimately, Novotný is likely to wind up back in Peterborough for a second tour of duty in the OHL and a chance to represent Czechia at the World Juniors for a second straight season. With a mid-November birthday, this will serve as his 19-year-old season.
After a standout performance at Canucks development camp in late June and with a full summer to train, Novotný is expected to play a key role on the Canucks prospects team that faces Seattle in a pair of games in Abbotsford on September 12 and 13. And that should serve as a springboard straight into main camp in Penticton days later.
Make no mistake, the youngster has physical traits that should allow him to more than hold his own among seasoned veterans. Listed at 6’1” and 205 pounds and likely still growing, Novotný profiles as a powerful force on left wing. With a powerful shot that netted 34 goals in 58 OHL games last season, this is a player that can score from distance, but one that isn’t afraid to take the puck to the net either.
Novotný has absolutely nothing to lose and a roster spot to gain heading to main camp. But unlike Braeden Cootes a year ago, who benefitted from a shocking lack of organizational depth at centre and parlayed a terrific camp into three NHL games to start the season, Novotný will need to unseat an incumbent on left wing on the Canucks depth chart. That means he’ll need to show more than Jake DeBrusk, Liam Öhgren, Drew O’Connor, Paul Cotter and perhaps even Max Sasson. On the surface, that seems unlikely. But a preseason DeBrusk trade or an injury elsewhere on that left side could change the calculus.
More than anything, though, the decision will be determined by Novotný’s performance. He needs to show well at main camp to earn an opportunity to play preseason games. And with a truncated exhibition schedule, it’s going to be difficult for rookies and young prospects across the league to truly make an impact this season. So an awful lot will have to fall Novotný’s way for him to stick around as the Canucks make their final roster decisions. Last year, it made sense to keep Cootes for a quick look before sending him back to junior. The odds are stacked against Novotný following that same path just a year later.
As a refresher, Cootes had the opportunity to play four times in the preseason last September. It’s highly unlikely Novotný will dress for all four of the Canucks exhibition contests this time around. And Cootes made a statement with two goals, two assists and six shots in his four outings. He saw an opportunity and kicked the door down with his performance. Novotný would surely need to score a few goals and would probably have to be among the team’s preseason scoring leaders to warrant consideration for a spot on the opening night 23-man roster.
So while he will certainly be a player to watch over the next month, Adam Novotný feels like a longshot to get a taste of NHL action to start the season. There are simply too many forces working against him at this early juncture of his career. But all of that should also serve as fuel and motivation to turn some heads as he lines up with NHL players for the first time.
It will be no knock at all on him if Novotný doesn’t stick around for early regular season outings. Braeden Cootes raised the bar for all Canucks prospects a year ago, but that remains the exception and not the norm. Still, it’s going to be fun to see what Adam Novotný brings to his first NHL training camp.
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