Adam Novotny: 2026 NHL Draft Prospect Profile: Combination Sniper/Power Forward Could be What the Devils Need

ST CATHARINES, CANADA - MARCH 6: Adam Novotný #16 of the Peterborough Petes pursues the play against the Niagara IceDogs during the third period at the Meridian Centre on March 6, 2026 in St Catharines, Canada. (Photo by John E. Sokolowski/Getty Images) | Getty Images Who is Adam Novotny?

Born November 13, 2007, Adam Novotny is an 18-year-old winger who stands at 6’1” and weighs in at 205 pounds. As a youth hockey player, he came out through the Mountfield HK system in Czechia. He performed particularly strongly as a member of the Under 20 team in 2023-24, posting 32 goals and 27 assists for 59 points in 48 games.

While he would not do as well in his first season with the main club in 2024-25 (just three points in 41 games), he would appear in the postseason for the U20 team, where he would put up 11 points in seven contests. Prior to the start of 2025-26, he moved over to the OHL where he joined the Peterborough Petes. In his first OHL season, Novotny again put together a strong campaign scoring 34 goals and adding 31 assists in 58 games.

His playoffs were a bit disappointing with just a lone assist in six games. Novotny seems to be developing pretty normally for a prospect who got his start in Europe, as he’s compiled strong numbers against players his own age (both in Europe and North America) while not quite being ready to play against seasoned veterans. Rankings Here are some ratings as compiled by TheHockeyWriters : NHL Central Scouting (Mid-Term) : 12th (among NA skaters) Baracchini’s March Top 96 (THW) : 12th Forbes’ Top 64 February Rankings (THW) : 15th Orth’s Top 32 February Rankings (THW) : 14th Craig Button (TSN) : 23rd Daily Faceoff : 15th Sam Cosentino (Sportsnet) : 12th Jason Bukala (Sportsnet) : 12th SMAHT Scouting : 20th All the ratings seem to agree that Novotny is set to be selected sometime within the first round, with multiple outlets having him go as early as 12th (where the Devils pick) and TSN’s Craig Button being the outlier having him as a late first as 23rd.