Many Canadian hockey players have to leave home for the first time as teenagers when they ascend to the major junior ranks and join the Canadian Hockey League.
For some, home is just a car ride away. For others, they have to move provinces and, in some cases, move to the United States.
However, for Peterborough Petes forward Adam Novotny, home is an ocean away after joining the Ontario Hockey League for this season.
The Kobylice, Czechia, native elected to continue his hockey development in the OHL for the 2025-26 campaign as he prepares for the 2026 NHL Draft.
“The first week was hard because it was the first time away from my family, but you get used to it,” said Novotny when talking about being so far away from home. “Being on my own, it’s different than when you’re at home and you know what everything is like at home.
“It’s not a big problem for me now. I just stay on the phone with my mom, and the team has been awesome and helped me a lot.”
Novotny was drafted eighth overall by the Petes in during the 2024 CHL Import Draft and was signed by the team in July.
He played parts of the past two seasons with Mountfield HK, which is part of the top professional league in Czechia.
Despite many options in front of him for his draft season, including staying home in Czechia or going to the U.S., Novotny felt that coming to Canada and joining the Petes was best for his development.
“The OHL is the best league to get ready for the draft,” said Novotny. “That was the biggest thing for me and also Peterborough is a great organization. I’m so happy to be here.”
Novotny admits he didn’t know much about the city of Peterborough when he was drafted. But he immediately became interested in the club, and, despite not joining the team right away, he was impressed with the commitment management showed to bring him over when he was ready.
Peterborough also had a secret weapon in recruiting Novotny to join the team this year, in the form of former defenceman Martin Matejicek, who played the past two seasons with the Petes.
“I actually love this place,” said Novotny. “I didn’t know much about it before coming here but I texted Matejicek about the city and he was very positive. I’m so glad to be here.”
The 6-foot-1 winger describes himself as a player who is strong with the puck and can both create chances and score.
Novotny and his brother grew up in Czechia as Philadelphia Flyers fans due to their admiration of Czech star Jakub Voracek. He also followed Boston Bruins superstar David Pastrnak closely because of his ability to score.
Novotny says he’s still figuring out what his own style is but members of the Petes organization already have an idea of what he should be aiming for.
“A lot of people in Peterborough compare me to [Anaheim Ducks forward] Mason McTavish because he played here too,” said Novotny. “They say I’m almost the same player as him, so I guess I’m modelled after him. They know him here and they know what they’re talking about.”
Fans looking ahead to the 2026* NHL Draft will find Novotny at No. 12 on TSN’s pre-season rankings and at No. 14 on TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button’s first draft list of the season. He has two assists after five games as the Petes get set to take on the Brantford Bulldogs on Friday night on TSN+.
Novotny has a number of goals for his draft year, with the success of the Petes being at the top of his list. After that, he wants to be a part of Czechia’s World Junior team at the 2026 tournament in Minnesota.
Czechia has been a force at the tournament lately, winning a silver (2023) and two bronze medals (2024, 2025) in the past three years and finishing fourth in 2022.
Novotny made last year’s bronze medal-winning squad as the youngest player on the team and hopes to return this year and make more of an impact.
“It’s great to get a medal at the World Juniors, but I hope this year it won’t be the bronze but the gold,” said Novotny. “I was the youngest guy on the team last year and I didn’t have a big role, and I totally get that.
“The experience from last year will help a lot, and this year I can be stronger and better in the tournament. I think my role would be a lot different and I can be a leader.”
Another goal Novotny has this season is to be named as part of the CHL’s team at the CHL USA Prospects Challenge in November. The event is a two-game series between the top NHL-eligible players in the CHL taking on the U.S. National Under-18 team that is taking place in Calgary and Lethbridge, Alta., on Nov. 25 and 26.
If selected, Novotny will have a unique perspective as the he will be a Czech player in the middle of a tournament that’s billed as Canada versus the United States.
The 17-year-old wants to be a part of that rivalry and is welcoming the pressure that the showcase can give for his draft season.
“I’m going to try my best to make that team because I think it’s a privilege,” said Novotny. “I handle the pressure really well [in games like that]. I try not to think about it, I just try to play my game the best I can. I work hard, be aggressive, be on the puck, and just play my game all the time.
“I think [those types of games] will help me a lot for the draft.”
Peterborough is coming off an 18-41-9 record last season that saw them finish last in the OHL. They missed the playoffs for the second straight season after becoming J. Robertson Cup champions in 2023.
The Petes drafted forward Kaden McGregor with the first-overall pick in the 2025 OHL Draft and along with core pieces like forward Caden Taylor, hometown product Colin Fitzgerald, and Novotny, the team is looking to make a major push forward this season.
“I think we have a pretty good team this season,” said Novotny. “I think we can go far in the playoffs, and I want to go as far as we can with the Petes.”