Photo Courtesy of Marissa Baecker

Fantasy Summary

A developing scorer with good instincts and a well-rounded offensive game. Could be more consistent, but has plenty of skill.


Observations

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June 2023 – Novak remains an intriguing prospect for the Minnesota Wild. Unfortunately during the 2022-23 season, Novak was unable to play any games for the Iowa Wild of the AHL, as he was battling with a serious illness. It remains to be seen if this time away from the ice will derail his potential, but Novak was seen as a very promising talent during the 2021-22 season playing for the Kelowna Rockets of the WHL. The next couple years of development will be important for Novak to see if he can be an NHL player one day. Nathan Leblanc

 

March 2021 – Looking at the point totals themselves, you might think that Novak is not a good player which is completely far from the truth. Novak is only 18 yeard old playing in a Men’s league, and has shown flashes of offensive talent even if he has not converted on some of those chances. Novak is a solid skater with great hands that is always battling for the puck and puts himself in dangerous opportunities for great scoring chances. His defensive game needs work as at times, he often leaves his own-zone way too early and cheats for offense. Novak has the tools to at least make it to the NHL but he is going to be a project for the Wild. Rayan Tubeec 

 

February 2021 – Novak returned to his native Czech Republic after spending his draft season in the WHL. He has bounced between the first and second Czech professional divisions, spending eight games in the top league and nine in the second division with limited success in both. It isn’t his first introduction to the Czech pro circuit; Novak spent 20 games in the second division back in 2018-19. Sam Happi

 

October 2020 – Novak was drafted 146th overall by the Wild after an impressive first North American season in the WHL. He led the Kelowna Rockets in scoring with 58 points in 55 games, using his skating, quick hands, and scoring instincts to create opportunities in the slot. With the WHL on hold until at least January, Novak has been playing in the Czech Republic’s second division professional league, where he’s off to a strong start with 4 points in 5 games. Sam Happi

Attributes
Fantasy Upside 6.0
NHL Certainty 6.5
Country CZE
Position RW
Roster Type Minors
Shoot/Glove Right
Date of Birth April 16, 2002
Height 5‘9”
Weight 170 lbs
Drafted 2020 Round 5; Overall: 146

Stats

 Season Team League GP G A TP PIM      Playoffs GP G A TP PIM 
 2014-2015 Czech Knights QC Int PW2 1 12 0|        
 2015-2016 IHC Kralove Pisek U16Czechia U1636 17 1532 36|        
  Czech Knights U14 WSI U146 4 37 0|        
 2016-2017 Motor Ceske Budejovice U16Czechia U1637 44 4185 30|Playoffs4 4 711
  Motor Ceske Budejovice U18Czechia U184 0 11 2|Playoffs2 0 00
  Jihocesky kraj U15MMCR5 4 37 2|        
 2017-2018 Motor Ceske Budejovice U16Czechia U1612 25 1439 8|        
  Motor Ceske Budejovice U18Czechia U1830 20 2646 28|Playoffs7 8 917
  HC Motor Ceske Budejovice U20Czechia U204 2 13 2|        
  Czechia U16 (all)International-Jr15 10 616 10|        
  Czechia U17 (all)International-Jr5 2 24 2|        
 2018-2019 HC Motor Ceske Budejovice U20Czechia U1931 29 1645 16|      -
  Motor Ceske BudejoviceCzechia220 0 33 4|        
  Czechia U17EYOF3 3 03 0|        
  Motor Ceske BudejoviceCzechia Q- - -- -|Qualification6 1 23
  Czechia U18 Hlinka Gretzky Cup4 0 11 0|        
  Czechia U17WHC-175 1 12 0|        
  Czechia U17 (all)International-Jr16 8 715 2|        
  Czechia U18 (all)International-Jr12 4 26 2|        
 2019-2020 Czechia U18 Hlinka Gretzky Cup4 2 13 2|        
  Kelowna RocketsWHL55 25 3358 33|        
  Czechia U18 (all)International-Jr7 7 18 6|        
 2020-2021 HC Stadion LitomericeCzechia29 1 34 8|        
  Motor Ceske BudejoviceCzechia15 0 11 2|        
  Czechia EHT1 0 00 0|        
  Czechia U20WJC-205 1 23 0|        
  Czechia U20 (all)International-Jr11 4 26 4|        
  Czechia (all)International2 0 00 0|        
 2021-2022 Kelowna RocketsWHL62 29 4372 14|Playoffs3 1 01
  Czechia U20 (all)WJC-20 Cancelled2 1 12 0|        
  Czechia U20 (all)International-Jr9 6 713 2|        
 2022-2023 Iowa WildAHL0 0 00 0|        
 2023-2024 Iowa WildAHL13 2 13 6|        
  Iowa HeartlandersECHL44 14 1327 26|        
 2024-2025 Iowa HeartlandersECHL2 0 00 0|        
  Motor Ceske BudejoviceCzechia6 1 12 2|        

Highlights