OHL Stock Watch: Adam Novotný continues to climb draft boards ahead of World Juniors

The Brantford Bulldogs have stayed busy.

In last month’s OHL Stock Watch, the Bulldogs had just pulled the trigger to acquire Ben Danford (Toronto Maple Leafs) and Zack Sandhu from the Oshawa Generals. 

They weren’t done there. 

After the league announced that the Guelph Storm won the bid to host the 2027 Memorial Cup, the Bulldogs struck again, landing arguably the biggest trade deadline target in Storm captain Jett Luchanko (Philadelphia Flyers). It meant moving a talented 2026 NHL Draft-eligible prospect in Layne Gallacher to seal the deal, along with a handful of picks, but it was a necessary cost. Now, they are one of the most stacked teams in recent memory, and it seems like a forgone conclusion that they will play for an OHL championship next spring. 

Other notable NHL-drafted prospects also moved in the last month, including the Bulldogs staying busy by shipping overager Sam McCue (Toronto) to the Ottawa 67’s, and the Flint Firebirds sending Kaden Pitre (Tampa Bay Lightning) to the North Bay Battalion. 

As the standings in both conferences get tighter with each passing weekend, several teams have difficult decisions to make ahead of the trade deadline, especially in the East, with how aggressive Brantford has been at acquiring players.

Still, trades haven’t been the only big storylines over the last month. Here are the biggest ones to follow as the holidays approach. 

Stock Rising 📈 

Adam Novotný, LW, Peterborough Petes (2026 NHL Draft)

After a strong showing at the CHL USA Prospects Challenge, Adam Novotný has returned to the Peterborough Petes, and his draft stock has continued to soar. 

With 21 points in his last 14 OHL outings since the start of November, Novotný is thriving as a play-driver and producer for the Petes. The first-year winger leads the Petes in goals and points by a wide margin, far and away Peterborough’s most valuable player through the first two months of the campaign. 

“A strong two-way player with the physical skills and off-puck ability to be an impact player even without the puck, Novotný looked every part of a top-half of the first round prospect.” – November 25th, 2025

Soon, Novotný will once again take his talents to the World Junior Championship. He had just one goal in seven games in last year’s tournament as an underage player, but is expected to be an offensive catalyst in Czechia’s top-six this time around. A strong World Juniors could cement his status as a top-ten pick in this draft class. 

Nathan Aspinall, LW/RW, Flint Firebirds (New York Rangers)

The New York Rangers seem to have a penchant for drafting towering forwards, and Nathan Aspinall is no exception. Soon to join the likes of Matt Rempe, Adam Edstrom, and Dylan Roobroeck at the professional ranks, the 6-foot-7 Aspinall is having a career year in the OHL so far. 

Coming off a 47-point, 62-game draft-plus-one season, Aspinall has found his scoring touch early and is now on pace for a 103-point draft-plus-two campaign. He had three three-point outings and two four-point games in November (for 24 points in 14 games), earned the OHL’s Player of the Month honours, and is currently riding a ten-game point streak. 

Further improvements to his overall speed and more of a willingness to get inside have allowed Aspinall to turn his high-end flashes of skill into consistent chances. The Rangers have to be pleased with his continued development. If he’s able to maintain his current scoring pace for the rest of the season, he could improve his upside from a bottom-six winger and earn a middle-six scoring role in the NHL down the road.

Harry Nansi, RW/C, Owen Sound Attack (Toronto Maple Leafs)

Harry Nansi’s production has cooled off over the last couple of weeks, but he was on a heater to begin the month of November. Riding a nine-game point streak that spanned nearly a month from October 29th to November 21st, Nansi racked up 21 points, including a four-point and five-point game.

Stability and mobility have been the biggest improvements in Nansi’s game so far this season. He’s always been a skilled handler under pressure, and now he’s able to effectively escape and make plays with little room. The flashes of manipulation and deception that made him such an intriguing player last season have come to the forefront of his game, allowing him to consistently create on his shifts. 

With regular top-six minutes, Nansi has taken the opportunity to be one of Owen Sound’s main play-drivers and run with it. While playing the wing on the top line and occasionally centering the second, Nansi has consistently helped drive the Attack offence all season, pushing the team to second in the Midwest Division. Surely the Toronto Maple Leafs have to be pleased with their fifth-rounder’s breakout start to the year.

Honourable Mentions: Adam Jiříček (St. Louis Blues), Marek Vanacker (Chicago Blackhawks), Kieron Walton (Winnipeg Jets), Cole Beaudoin (Utah Mammoth), Kashawn Aitcheson (New York Islanders), Jakub Fibigr (Seattle Kraken), Owen Griffin (Columbus Blue Jackets), Braidy Wassilyn (2026 NHL Draft), Jaxon Cover (2026 NHL Draft),  Adam Levac (2026 NHL Draft), Cole Zurawski (2026 NHL Draft), Wil McFadden (2026 NHL Draft re-entry).

Stock Steady ↔️

Sam O’Reilly, C, London Knights (Tampa Bay Lightning)

The London Knights know what they’re going to get from captain Sam O’Reilly in every game: relentless energy, physicality, and consistent production. Through their first 27 games of the season, he’s a point-per-game player, tied for the team lead in points, and leads all Knights forwards in ice-time, at an average of 21 minutes a game (according to InStat Hockey).

London hasn’t faltered too much since graduating most of last year’s championship-winning roster, but the team is currently in the middle of the pack of a tight Western Conference, and O’Reilly’s leadership on and off the ice is a big reason why. He’s proven that he can be a go-to guy on this Knights team and deliver when it matters the most. 

As a result, the Knights are currently in a good enough position as the holiday break approaches that they could decide to make another playoff run. However, O’Reilly could be dealt to a contending team before the trade deadline in January, which could mean that he's played his last game in a Knights uniform as he heads off to represent Canada at the 2026 World Juniors.

In fact, it may be the best decision for London moving forward, as O’Reilly’s reliable two-way play and past championship experience would be a vital asset to any team looking to go deep in the playoffs, and the trade return would likely go a long way to improving their future. Still, no matter where O’Reilly ends up for the second half of the campaign, expect the two-way centre to bring his well-rounded, intelligent game on every shift.

Stock Falling 📉 

Colin Fitzgerald, C, Soo Greyhounds (2026 NHL Draft) 

It hasn’t been an ideal start to the NHL draft season for Colin Fitzgerald. While he had a decent showing playing a fourth-line role at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in August, he hasn’t been able to find his offence in the OHL. He hovered at just over a 0.50 points-per-game pace through 24 games with the Peterborough Petes and wasn’t one of the players invited to participate in the CHL USA Prospects Challenge last month, an indication that his stock is also falling in NHL circles.

An effective and advanced supporter of the play during his time with the Petes, Fitzgerald worked hard to extend plays, leverage his frame to win battles, and occasionally generated a few high-danger scoring chances. But without regularly being able to showcase his puck skills, his draft stock has continued to fall. 

A trade to the Soo Greyhounds at the end of November could be exactly what Fitzgerald needs to get his game back on track. The Greyhounds, led by captain Brady Martin, play fast, intense, and physical – that’s Fitzgerald’s game at its best. While still searching for his first goal with his new team, he is currently a point-per-game player in his first four games with the Soo. If he can up the pace, unlock some more offence, and get back to his assertive, play-driving ways, he could start climbing draft boards again.

The Niagara IceDogs 

Ten months ago, the 2024-25 Niagara IceDogs went winless in the entire month of February.

It happened again. 

The IceDogs played nine games in November, losing all of them: seven in regulation and two in overtime. They plummeted down the Eastern Conference standings to eighth place heading into December – a shocking fall considering that they had been sitting atop the Central Division at the beginning of last month.

Their top players, Riley Patterson (Vancouver Canucks), Ryan Roobroeck (2026), Kevin He (Winnipeg Jets), and Ethan Czata (Tampa Bay Lightning), all produced admirably amid the slide. But their forward depth has not provided enough scoring support, and the blueline has struggled to limit chances. To make matters more difficult, netminders Charlie Robertson and Vladislav Yermolenko have been in and out of the lineup, allowing a combined 43 goals in November and forcing the team to rely even more heavily on scoring goals to keep games close.

Niagara was expected to contend for a division title this year, and there will always be bumps in the road during a season. Things appear to be looking up for them in December. They've recorded two straight wins so far, including the third-period comeback victory over the Brampton Steelheads that ended their losing streak. 

Both wins have helped the IceDogs climb back to sixth in the conference. As they hope to return to their winning ways for the rest of the season, they will need more saves, better defence, and more secondary scoring, especially if they wish to be buyers at the trade deadline.