Vancouver placed winger Adam Novotny back with the Peterborough Petes of the OHL as the team reduced its pre-season roster by 15 players on Sept. 23, 2026.
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The Vancouver Canucks have returned winger Adam Novotny to junior hockey with the Peterborough Petes, a move confirmed as the NHL club reduced its pre-season roster by 15 players on Sept. 23, 2026.
Novotny was selected 24th overall in the 2026 NHL draft, and the organization kept him within the junior pathway rather than using an American Hockey League option that was previously possible for a player of his age.
The Canucks cited the development opportunities available in the OHL, noting room for further growth in Novotny’s game after an extended look during team evaluations. At development camp, Novotny impressed with a strong stride, the ability to dominate along the wall and his effectiveness in taking pucks to the net.
In pre-season action leading into the roster reduction, Novotny and fellow prospect Braeden Cootes stood out during the final development camp scrimmage and continued to draw notice in subsequent pre-season games.
The decision also connects to league eligibility rules that were changed and agreed upon between the NHL and the Canadian Hockey League, which the reporting described as already in place for the age group involved.
Novotny is listed at 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds, and the reporting said he tallied 65 points last season for his prior team—34 goals and 31 assists—during what was described as a strong, seamless transition to North American play.
An additional factor in the planning is Novotny’s contractual status. He remains under contract with his Czech club, and the reporting said he has been loaned to the Peterborough Petes rather than fully transferred into a North American minor-league track.
While the reporting noted he could technically play in the AHL as an 18-year-old, the Canucks’ approach prioritized another strong season with Peterborough, with the argument that it would better support his development trajectory and contribute to the Petes’ competitiveness.
Peterborough general manager Michael Oke said the organization expects to contend for the OHL Eastern Conference regular-season pennant and to pursue a long run in the playoffs, positioning Novotny as a meaningful part of that plan.
“Everyone does their own analytics,” Oke said, adding that for his team Novotny ranks near the top of the players set to return to the league. Oke referenced even-strength performance indicators, saying Novotny is near the league leaders in shots per 20 minutes, scoring chances per 20 minutes and goals per 20 minutes at even strength.
Alongside Novotny’s assignment, the Canucks also moved other players as part of the same roster reduction. Defencemen Sawyer Mynio and Kirill Kudryatsev were assigned to Abbotsford, with the moves described as keeping Victor Mancini and Guillaume Brisebois in the mix for the seventh defenceman spot on the parent club’s roster.
The Canucks’ pre-season roster changes continue to shape the set of players in the final evaluation period, particularly as Vancouver works through which prospects and depth options are most ready to contribute at the NHL level immediately versus those best served by continued development with their junior and AHL affiliates.
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