Czech winger Adam Novotný, who turns 17 in November, is currently projected by most sources to be a top-15 pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft.

Last summer, when he was 16, Novotný agreed to a multi-year contract with his Czech club, Mountfield HK, which is based in Hradec Králové. In the season to follow, Novotný played 51 Extraliga games for Mountfield, scoring three goals and adding two assists.

Mountfield apparently had plans for Novotný in the coming season but, on Tuesday, the club announced that he would play the 2025-26 season for the OHL’s Peterborough Petes, who selected Novotný in the 2024 CHL Import Draft.

“After I was drafted last season, I became more interested in the Peterborough organization,” Novotný is quoted on the Petes website. “I immediately contacted (former Petes’ Czech defenseman) Martin Matějíček, who had only positive things to say about the club.

“Although I didn’t play for the club last season, coaches Patrick O’Connor and Rob Wilson communicated with me frequently. This helped convince me that it was the right choice for my development. They also visited me in the Czechia to meet my family, for which I was very grateful. Of course, I consulted my decision with my family, and I feel tremendous support from them.”

Czech Petr Sikora: “It’s A Charley Horse – I Got Hit In The Thigh” By Beaudoin While Canadian hockey fans suffered through a near-existential crisis on Thursday during Canada’s 4-3 loss to Czechia in the IIHF World Junior Championship quarterfinals, one of the outlets for their anger and frustration – in addition to referees, coaches and Hockey Canada itself – was Czech center Petr Sikora.

In the Mountfield club’s announcement, both the GM and coach could barely hide their disappointment.

“Our vision when we signed the contract was clear – we wanted to give him a place on the A-team, which is what happened with Adam Novotný,” said Mountfield GM Aleš Kmoníček. “That’s why we were very surprised by the clear view of Adam, his parents and agents on the necessity of leaving for Canada before the NHL draft, which will take place next year. And this was after a season when Adam was playing in the starting lineup, and when we tried to work on his overall development.”

“Adam is a wonderful kid with a great work ethic,” said Mountfield coach Tomáš Martinec. “I regret his departure to play in a junior league, because he played a full season of pro hockey at 17, and I believe that next year he would have made much more progress playing among men. However, that’s what he wanted and I wish him only the best.”

Representing Czechia this past season, Novotný had five points in five games at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup and six points in five games at the IIHF U-18 World Championship. He also scored a goal in seven games as the youngest player on the Czech bronze-medal winning team at the World Juniors in Ottawa.

Playing for Mountfield, Novotný garnered attention in the playoffs, when he scored on a brilliant solo effort in Mountfield’s 3-0 win over BK Mladá Boleslav in Game 7 of the quarterfinals.

2026 Czech Draft Prospect Adam Novotný Scores In Mountfield’s Game 7 Extraliga Quarterfinal Win Mountfield HK shut out visiting BK Mladá Boleslav 3-0 on Friday night to win Game 7 of their Czech Extraliga quarterfinal series before 6,553 fans at Hradec Králové’s ČPP Aréna.

“We had a personal meeting and countless phone calls, trying to convince the player and agents of our opinion and that he could go to the draft even from the Extraliga,” Kmoníček. “We were going to give Adam an even bigger role in the new season. However, nothing helped and the other side is convinced that only the path from Canada to the draft is the right one.

“After considering the situation and with the consent of the company’s board of directors, we finally terminated Adam’s player contract for one season and allowed him to go overseas. In any case, I give my best to Adam. May he prosper overseas and avoid injury.”

Kmoníček’s words seem to indicate that he still has hopes of Novotný returning to Mountfield after one season away. Time will tell.

Photo: Stanislav Souček

Two Czechs Lead Off 2025 CHL Import Draft A pair of 18-year-old Czech forwards were the first two picks of the 2025 CHL Import Draft on Wednesday. They were part of a record 35 Czechs taken overall.