Thomas Novak

July 2019 – In his tryout period with Milwaukee, Novak scored an assist over a 3-game span and dressed in a playoff match.  It was his final season in the NCAA and he was not tendered an ELC by Nashville. His pro future remains to be seen. – Nicholas Kawka

March 2019 – Novak has signed an amateur tryout contract with the Milwaukee Admirals, Nashville’s AHL affiliate. The 2015 third-round pick just finished up his senior year at the University of Minnesota with four goals and 21 points in 38 games. Novak’s future with the Predators remains unclear, but this may be an opportunity for him to impress the team enough to earn an entry level contract. Matt Somma

March 2019 – Novak has had a bit of a slower season compared to his junior campaign. He had 21 points in 37 games, but only four of those points were goals. Novak does not have a dangerous shot and will have to rely on his vision and playmaking abilities in order to make it in the NHL. He is due for an NHL contract once his season ends and will be a free agent if the Predators do not extend him an offer by August 15th.

September 2018 – Novak established himself as a top playmaker in the NCAA during the 2017-2018 campaign with an impressive 23 assists in 34 games for the University of Minnesota. Novak is seeing more ice time with the Gophers and is entering his senior year with considerable hype. The playmaking center has the speed, smarts, and offensive tools to be an effective middle-six center at the NHL level, but the biggest question about Novak is if he will be physically mature enough to handle the style of play at the professional level. Expect Novak to be one of Minnesota’s top point producers this season while getting first line minutes and power play time. Matt Somma

December 2017 – Thomas Novak has had a strong start to the 2017-2018 campaign with the University of Minnesota thus far. The 20-year-old center has two goals and 18 points and leads his team with 16 assists. With star forward Casey Mittelstadt away at the World Junior Hockey Championship, Novak is currently anchoring the Gopher’s first line, seeing significant power play time, and playing with team captain Tyler Sheehy and fellow Predators draft pick Rem Pitlick. Novak is a smart and highly skilled center with tremendous speed and puckhandling ability that allows him to make offensive plays. Novak’s primary criticism was his lack of size, but he has grown considerably since his draft year. Novak projects as a skilled center with the capability of playing on a second line in the NHL. Tyler Halsey

February 2017 – Thomas Novak had his second season with the University of Minnesota cut short, because of a knee injury. He will remain side-lined for the remainder of the season. In two seasons in the NCAA, Novak has 0.72 points per game. In the international tournaments, with Team USA, he has 18 points in nine games. Novak has been described as a dominant precence, a highly skilled playmaking center with a first-rate hockey sense and puckhandling ability. The River Falls native needs to add some weight to his small frame, but other than that, there isn’t anything stopping him from being an effective center for the Predators in the future. Niko Salminen

June 2015 – The Nashville Predators selected skilled forward Thomas Novak with the 85th pick of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. Brendan Ross

May 2015 – Former 3^rd overall pick of the USHL Draft, Thomas Novak is a skilled playmaking pivot with high hockey sense. He was a point-per-game forward in his first year in the USHL scoring 14 goals while piling up 34 assists for the Waterloo Black Hawks. Novak’s intelligence allows him to anticipate plays and read the ice which are vital advantages for a high-end set-up man like himself. Committed to the University of Minnesota, Novak is a potential first round selection for the 2015 NHL Draft and many believe this highly skilled centerman will explode as a late bloomer. Brendan Ross