Mountfield HK's Adam Novotný making a move on BK Mladá Boleslav goaltender Dominik Furch to score the 2-0 goal on Friday. Photo: Stanislav Souček [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/f9687a9d-cabe-4247-8bf3-f4df5c433873.jpeg] Mountfield HK's Adam Novotný making a move on BK Mladá Boleslav goaltender Dominik Furch to score the 2-0 goal on Friday. Photo: Stanislav Souček 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. With Mountfield leading 1-0 in the second period, 17-year-old Adam Novotný, one of the top-ranked prospects for the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, scored on a brilliant individual effort to double his team’s lead. “The feelings are indescribable,” Novotný said after the game [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQ_OLktrDjI&pp=ygUZTW91bnRmaWVsZCBNbGFkYSBCb2xlc2xhdg%3D%3D]. “The fans were really cheering us on and the euphoria was really beautiful. I’m glad we did it.” Novotný, whose November 2007 birthday makes him ineligible for this year’s draft, only scored once in 41 professional regular-games and was sent down late in the season to play with the club’s U20 team. After rediscovering his scoring touch with eight goals in seven junior playoff games, injuries on the big team resulted in Novotný being called back up for the third game of the series against Mladá Boleslav. Novotný scored a bit of a lucky goal in Game 6 but his goal in Game 7 was brilliant. The youngster won a race for the puck in the neutral zone against defenseman Filip Pyrochta – a former Nashville Predators [http://thn.com/nashville] prospect – then eluded another backchecker and beat goaltender Dominik Furch on a backhand deke. “I’m really glad to score such a nice goal – I must have started to believe in myself more after the first goal,” he said. “I also think that going back to junior to help the guys out in the playoffs got me back playing like myself again.” “He helped us with a beautiful goal today and I’m really glad for him,” said Mountfield coach Tomáš Martinec. “He’s a young guy, but mature for his age and he’s handled (the pressure) brilliantly.” As a 17-year-old, Novotný was the youngest member of the Czech team that won bronze at this year's IIHF World Junior Championship [https://thehockeynews.com/international/bronze-czechs-arrive-in-prague-we-would-have-died-for-each-other] and he’s got another big international tournament on the horizon where he’s expected to play a larger role. Bronze Czechs Arrive In Prague: 'We Would Have Died For Each Other [https://thehockeynews.com/international/bronze-czechs-arrive-in-prague-we-would-have-died-for-each-other] It’s expected that once some of the Mountfield’s regulars return, Novotný will join the Czech team’s camp in preparation for the upcoming IIHF U-18 World Championship from April 23 to May 3 in Texas. Czech teams must release their players if selected for IIHF championships but the exact timing of their release can be negotiated. “Yeah, the U-18s are slowly approaching but my head is here (in the Extraliga playoffs) right now and if I stay here for a while, that would be great too,” Novotný smiled. “We’ll see,” said Martinec. “We’ll try to make arrangements with the (U-18 national team) coaches so he can continue here for now and help us in the next series.” Mountfield, which finished second in the Extraliga regular season, begins its semifinal series against third-seeded Dynamo Pardubice [https://thehockeynews.com/international/latest-news/pardubice-looks-to-dominate-extraliga-sign-another-ex-nhler] on April 3. The other semifinal between Sparta Prague [https://thehockeynews.com/international/latest-news/there-will-be-a-new-czech-champion-tinecs-5-year-reign-ended-by-sparta] and Kometa Brno begins on April 1. Ex-Flyer Finds New Team in Czechia [https://images.saymedia-content.com/.image/MjA5OTM2MTY2NDA0MTcxMjE3/usatsi_15661405.jpg] Ex-Flyer Finds New Team in Czechia Canadian center Connor Bunnaman, 26, has signed a contract to play for Mountfield HK, the <a href="https://www.mountfieldhk.cz/clanek.asp?id=Utocnou-vozbu-Hradce-rozsiri-Kanadan-Connor-Bunnaman-13066">Czech Extraliga club announced on Saturday</a>. [https://thehockeynews.com/international/latest-news/ex-flyer-finds-new-team-in-czechia]
