The 18-year-old Czechia forward Adam Novotny already plays hockey like a grown man, which makes sense considering he spent his 17-year-old season in Czechia's top professional tier. Instead of staying in Czechia for his draft year, the winger decided to join the Peterborough Petes in the OHL, and he didn't miss a beat, recording 34 goals and 31 assists in 58 games.
Novotny checks all the boxes for a Bruins team that is in an awkward grey area between a rebuild and retool. With the team claiming a playoff spot after just one season away, it seems like Don Sweeney wants to continue competing for a top-eight spot in the Eastern Conference, and one of the forwards near the Bruins' range at No. 23 who could compete for a roster spot quicker than others is Novotny.
First of all, there is the obvious reason of him already having a season against men under his belt. Sometimes it is also a bit scary drafting European players if there is an uncertainty about how they'd adapt, but given how quickly he became one of the Petes' best players in his first North American season, that doesn't seem like it is going to be an issue.
The one problem the Bruins might have is that his play this season is elevating his draft stock to a point where he is getting outside of their range at No. 23. If Boston does value the Czech winger, they might need to trade up to get him, and in that case, it might just be worth the risk. The Athletic's Scott Wheeler gave him a glowing endorsement in his latest mock draft, projecting him to go 18th to the Washington Capitals.
"I get the sense that the strong-skating, strong-bodied Novotný goes in the teens, and I’ve heard him connected to the Capitals. They have an abundance of wing prospects, but none that profile quite like him. I could see their group liking him as a projectable, pro-style secondary middle-six scorer with speed, which they could use more of."Scott Wheeler
If what Wheeler says is true, the Bruins will have to get ahead of the 18th pick to take him from the Capitals. It might not be easy to do, but when you can add some Czechia offensive talent on the wing after all the success of David Pastrnak as a later first-round pick, and also have the new prospect get mentored by the man himself, it's too good an opportunity to pass up.
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