The Vancouver Canucks made two selections in the opening round of the 2026 NHL Entry Draft on Friday night. Following the first round, General Manager Ryan Johnson met with the media to discuss his picks and look ahead to day two, with the organization currently holding eight more picks.
“Really good, a lot of work went into this,” said Johnson when asked about how he felt the day went. “You never know how it's going to fall. You've got to be prepared for so many different scenarios, but the way it played out with picking at 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 fit exactly what we wanted to accomplish here.”
Caleb Malhotra was selected third overall, and the GM says Malhotra was the right fit for the organization.
“He brings a bit of everything, obviously his progression over the 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 was watching that the ceiling is extremely high. He still has ways to grow and to evolve as a player, but a good player, great human being, leadership qualities, that's all. Yeah, it's that simple,” said Johnson.
Johnson said his scouting group has been tracking their picks over the past few years, and after the first two selections went as they did, there was no question who they wanted with the third overall pick.
The GM was asked about having Manny Malhotra as the head coach and Caleb as an NHL player in the future, and whether this situation could present a problem.
“We didn't draft Manny's kid. We drafted Caleb Malhotra, and you can tell how excited I am to have the opportunity to do that,” he said.
The Canucks’ second first-round pick was Adam Novotný. He is a 6’1”, 205-pound winger out of the OHL. In his rookie OHL season, Novotný scored 34 goals in 58 games. He has played two seasons of pro hockey in Czechia and has represented his country twice at the World Junior Championships.
“Part of our discussion late last night was drafting winners, and he was a guy that we targeted the way he plays. His character in our interviews was very well received,” said Johnson.
“He exudes winner, compete, along with a [good] skill set. The amount of goals he scored, his size, and he's already very physically mature, he skates. It was a player that we felt at 24, we were extremely lucky to get, and again, he's got pro habits at a young age. So, we are just excited to continue to grow and watch him. He'll head back to Peterborough next year and continue his development.”
The Canucks are on the clock for the first selection of round two on Saturday morning. They currently have eight picks on day two.
Round two of the NHL draft begins at 8:00 a.m. PT, and you can watch rounds 2-7 on Sportsnet.
