The Canucks released a behind the scenes video of their work during the NHL Draft on Friday. In the video, it was revealed who the Canucks were thinking of picking just before the 24th overall selection.<\/p>\n
Right before their pick, the Utah Mammoth traded 23rd overall to the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for prospect goaltender Sebastian Cossa.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s when amateur scouting director Todd Harvey predicted what would happen next.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s either one of them, RJ,\u201d Harvey said in the video. \u201cThey take one of them and pick Novotny or [JP] Hurlbert.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJust wait and see.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Sure enough, the Red Wings stepped up and selected Hurlbert, leaving the Canucks to select a guy they didn\u2019t expect to be available for them.<\/p>\n
\u201cGetting Adam [Novotny] at 24, we really thought that that wouldn\u2019t be a scenario that would fall to us,\u201d Johnson said in the clip.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you look at the player type again, size and strength and speed and skill, great skater, shoots the puck very well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Novotny was the 15th-best prospect heading into the draft on Elite Prospects\u2019 Consolidated Rankings.<\/p>\n
\u201cGreat details, good wall work,\u201d Harvey said. \u201cKind of can play up and down and all over the map there for you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Did Canucks snag four first-round calibre players?<\/p>\n
Remember when former Vancouver Canucks GM Patrik Allvin infamously touted that he received the equivalent of three first-rounders<\/a> in the Bo Horvat trade?<\/p>\n That didn\u2019t age well.<\/p>\n The Canucks did get a first-rounder in return, along with Anthony Beauvillier and Aatu Raty. Beauvillier was a former first-rounder, but he was 25 when the Canucks acquired him. He was traded away within a year for a fifth-round pick. Raty was once considered to be a first-round calibre talent, but he was actually taken in the second round, 51st overall.<\/p>\n Hopefully, Johnson\u2019s take about the 2026 Draft ages better than Allvin\u2019s.<\/p>\n While Johnson didn\u2019t explicitly say the Canucks landed the equivalent of four first-rounders, he did reveal that Vancouver\u2019s first-four draft picks were all on their board above the first-round cut off.<\/p>\n \u201cWe end up with, in the first two rounds, four guys that were were in our top 24 on our list,\u201d Johnson said.<\/p>\n \u201cTo be able to to get that, walk out of the first two rounds like that, we were pretty excited.\u201d<\/p>\n The Canucks had Niklas Aaram-Olsen (left) and Brooks Rogowski (right) higher on their boards compared to where they were picked. (@Canucks\/X)<\/p>\n Mammoth-sized centre Brooks Rogowski was 28th overall on Elite Prospects Consolidated Rankings. The Canucks acquired him with the first pick of the second round at 33rd overall.<\/p>\n Niklas Aaram-Olsen was ranked as the 35th-best player on Elite Prospects Consolidated Rankings. However, only one public list in the consolidation had him as a first-rounder. He was ranked as low as 64th overall on Elite Prospects final ranking.<\/p>\n The Norwegian sniper did profile as more of a high-risk, high-reward prospect, something the Canucks had the draft capital to target. However, some scouts did question<\/a> what he provides outside of his shot.<\/p>\n![\"rogowski](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/rogowski-aaram-olsen-canucks.jpeg\"\/ "\\"\\"")
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