The Canucks selected Caleb Malhotra third-overall and Adam Novotný 24th-overall in the first round of the 2026 NHL Entry Draft.
The Vancouver Canucks have concluded the first round of the 2026 NHL Entry Draft with two stellar prospects in Caleb Malhotra (3rd) and Adam Novotný (24th). They’ll only be adding to this total tomorrow when they make eight more selections including two in the second-round (33rd and 41st).
After the first-round of the draft, Canucks General Manager Ryan Johnson met with the media to discuss the team’s first-round selections.
“A lot of work went into this. You never know how it’s gonna fall,” Johnson said after the conclusion of the draft’s first-round. “You’ve got to be prepared for so many different scenarios, but the way it played out with picking three and 24, we looked at a lot of different options, but we got two very good hockey players — high compete, size, can skate, and fits to exactly what we wanted to accomplish here, walking into today.”
Putting aside the family dynamic between Malhotra (the player) and Malhotra (the head coach), Vancouver is getting a high-impact center who will chip in on both sides of the ice with their third-overall selection. While Malhotra is expected to join Boston University in the NCAA for the 2026–27 season, once he does join the Canucks full-time, he’ll undoubtedly be one of the franchise’s biggest stars.
“He brings a bit of everything. Obviously, his progression last two years of playing in Chilliwack and playing against older, mature men, and going into the OHL, and the progression from day one to where he is now — watching that, the ceiling is extremely high. He still has ways to grow and to evolve as a player, but good player, great human being, leadership qualities [...] it’s that simple.”
Jun 26, 2026; Buffalo, New York, USA; Caleb Malhotra reacts with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman after being selected with the third pick in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft by the Vancouver Canucks at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn ImagesNovotný, on the other hand, Johnson explained, is one of those players that the team described as a “winner.” While the winger was ranked anywhere from 13th to 26th in this year’s draft, the Canucks were surprised that he ended up falling to them at 24th.
“Part of our discussion late into last night was drafting winners, and he was a guy we targeted,” Johnson added. “The way he plays, again, his character, his interview was very well-received. He exudes winner, compete, along with skill-set, the amount of goals he scored, his size, he’s already very physically mature, the way he skates [...] it was a player we felt, at 24, we were extremely lucky to get.”
One notable thing about the Canucks' strategy leading up to the draft was their surprising absence in the red-hot trade market occurring before, and even during. Johnson noted prior to the draft that Vancouver would not be rushing into anything. That said, he did specify that the team had been looking into potentially trading up or around 24, though ultimately nothing came to fruition.
"You kind of have buckets of players, and obviously [you're] trying to get as many players you can in the higher buckets, and [we] looked at some different options to either get up, or get in and around another pick within and around 24 to be able to get a couple players in that bucket, but things have to go your way."
The Canucks will likely be adding more impactful players to their organization come tomorrow, as they currently hold the 33rd-overall pick — the first selection of the second round. With a total of eight picks in Rounds 2 to 7, Vancouver will be padding their shelves with more and more depth throughout the remainder of this year’s draft.
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