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Canucks prospect Adam Novotný talks about his development journey and who he models his game after

Photo credit: © Tav Morisson-CanucksArmy

By Arielle Lalande

Jul 12, 2026, 12:00 EDTUpdated: Jul 12, 2026, 02:58 EDT

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Things may be quieting down for the summer across the NHL following the draft and free agency, but for players and prospects, the summer months are far from time off. Adam Novotný, the Vancouver Canucks’ second first-round draft pick this year, already has his eyes set on another year of rigorous development.

Speaking at last week’s development camp, Novotný talked about the experience he brought into the draft and what he hopes to gain from another season in North America. Novotný, who turns 19 this fall, was just 15 when he scored his first professional career goal with Mountfield (the Lions) in the Czech league. In the fall of 2023, he was called up from the club’s minor teams and became the youngest player to date to score a goal in the league.

The milestone moment came against the Kladno Knights, the team which NHL legend Jaromir Jagr owns and still occasionally plays for: “I couldn’t believe it for a second,” Novotný said. “Obviously such a cool experience [at] such a young age, but I think that was just the start of my journey.”

For Novotný, who says he grew up idolizing Czech players like David Pastrňák and Martin Nečas, it was difficult to consistently watch NHL games on the other side of the Atlantic. After his first 10-game stint, Novotný played a full season of pro hockey with Mountfield before making the jump to Canada for his draft year.

When it comes to modelling his game after players on North American ice, Novotný does not have to look further than the alumni of his current team, the Peterborough Petes in the OHL, for inspiration: “It’s always Mason McTavish.”

McTavish, drafted third overall in 2021 by the Anaheim Ducks, also saw nine NHL games that same season before finishing the year out in the OHL. McTavish played three seasons for Anaheim before he was traded to the St. Louis Blues last month, and provides an excellent road map for Novotný’s development.

“He played in Peterborough, and you know Rob Wilson, our coach, he told me that I’m so similar to him, then I started to watch a little bit more. … I mean, he’s a great, great player, you know, competitive, versatile, can play a lot of roles, it’s just fun to watch him.”

The pair share their size, two-way play, power-forward potential, and a powerful shot and release. Just like Novotný is to Czechia, McTavish has been a gem for Team Canada, bringing home gold and the MVP title from World Juniors in 2022. However, where the two players share in their top-tier two-way game, they also share in their struggles – McTavish saw limited utilization in the Ducks’ playoff series against Vegas this spring, and Novotný’s production slowed down before the Petes were eliminated from the postseason in six games.

It’s not that McTavish is no longer an excellent player at 23, but he was a casualty of an awkward in-between for the Ducks. They have elected to focus on even younger talent like the much-discussed Leo Carlsson and Cutter Gauthier, or even veteran power forward Chris Kreider, and move on from the Zegras-Drysdale-McTavish era.

In Vancouver, Novotný will hardly face this issue; he is part of their wave of fresh talent coming into a rebuilding team with a youthful defensive core, including Zeev Buium and Tom Willander, and forwards in the pipeline like Riley Patterson, Caleb Malhotra, and Braeden Cootes. The Canucks have made it clear they are not half-heartedly committing to a retool, but are in a full rebuild.

Like McTavish, Novotný also made his European pro debut incredibly young – undoubtedly, expectations may be a little elevated for him to be NHL-ready. Still, sustainability and consistency in his game are key to unlocking long-term success.

With the Canucks’ forward group needing some serious TLC this year with prospects who are committed and instill long-term confidence, Novotný has a great opportunity to be part of Vancouver’s solution moving forward. For him, the goal is clear. “I’ll do everything I can to make it as soon as I can.”

With another year of play in North America under his belt – and another year watching the NHL – Adam Novotný could be making his pro debut sooner rather than later.

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