Jump to content

Tommy Novak

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tommy Novak
Novak in 2026
Born (1997-04-28) April 28, 1997 (age 29)
Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb)
Position Forward
Shoots Left
NHL team
Former teams		 Pittsburgh Penguins
Nashville Predators
National team  United States
NHL draft 85th overall, 2015
Nashville Predators
Playing career 2019–present

Thomas Novak (born April 28, 1997) is an American professional ice hockey player who is a forward for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted with the 85th overall pick by the Nashville Predators in the third round of the 2015 NHL entry draft.

Early life

[edit]

Novak was born on April 28, 1997, in Saint Paul, Minnesota,[1] to John and Patti Novak.[2] Although he was born in Minnesota, Novak was raised in River Falls, Wisconsin.[3]

Playing career

[edit]
Novak (left) battling for the puck against Ryker Evans of the Seattle Kraken in 2024.

After three years of high school hockey at Saint Thomas Academy, Novak joined the Waterloo Black Hawks for the 2014–15 USHL season.[4] Novak's outstanding play with the Black Hawks was rewarded when he was invited to skate in the 2014 CCM/USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game.[5] In June 2015, Novak was drafted by the Nashville Predators in the third round of the 2015 NHL entry draft.[6]

Novak played college hockey for the Minnesota Golden Gophers from 2015 to 2019.[7][8]

After his college career, he signed with the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League (AHL) on March 20, 2019.[9]

Novak was named AHL Rookie of the Month for November 2019.[10]

He signed an entry-level contract with Nashville on March 25, 2020,[11] and played in his first NHL game on October 19, 2021.[12][13] On December 17, 2021, Novak scored his first NHL goal, against Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Marc-André Fleury in a 3–2 Nashville win.[14]

In July 2022, Novak re-signed with Nashville on a one-year contract.[15] On February 8, 2023, he signed a new one-year contract with Nashville.[16] Novak finished the 2022–23 NHL season with 17 goals.[17]

On November 14, 2023, Novak was placed on injured reserve with an upperbody injury.[17] He returned to the line-up on December 7 after missing 11 games.[18] On March 4, 2024, the Predators re-signed Novak to a three-year, $10.5 million contract.[19]

On March 5, 2025, Novak was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins, alongside Luke Schenn, for Michael Bunting and a fourth round draft pick.[20] In his second game with Pittsburgh, he suffered a stress fracture in his leg, and missed the remainder of the 2024–25 NHL season.[21]

Novak returned in the 2025-26 season, playing in all 82 games for the first time in his career, scoring 42 points.[22]

On July 31, 2026, Novak signed a three-year contract with the Penguins.[23]

International play

[edit]

Novak helped lead the United States national under-18 team to a bronze medal at the 2014 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament,[24] and he recorded seven points in four games as a member of the United States national junior team at the 2014 World Junior A Challenge.[25]

Career statistics

[edit]

Regular season and playoffs

[edit]
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GPGAPtsPIM GPGAPtsPIM
2011–12 St. Thomas Academy USHS 251420340 64592
2012–13 St. Thomas Academy USHS 252522476 637100
2013–14 St. Thomas Academy USHS 252644708 34482
2013–14 U.S. National Development Team USHL 20000 —————
2014–15 Waterloo Black Hawks USHL 4614344812 —————
2015–16 U. of Minnesota B1G 37621274 —————
2016–17 U. of Minnesota B1G 20591410 —————
2017–18 U. of Minnesota B1G 34323268 —————
2018–19 U. of Minnesota B1G 38417214 —————
2018–19 Milwaukee Admirals AHL 30110 10000
2019–20 Milwaukee Admirals AHL 6011314218 —————
2020–21 Florida Everblades ECHL 31230 —————
2020–21 Chicago Wolves AHL 27824324 —————
2021–22 Milwaukee Admirals AHL 427273416 61562
2021–22 Nashville Predators NHL 271672 —————
2022–23 Milwaukee Admirals AHL 251115262 —————
2022–23 Nashville Predators NHL 511726438 —————
2023–24 Nashville Predators NHL 711827458 60000
2024–25 Nashville Predators NHL 52139224 —————
2024–25 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 20000 —————
2025–26 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 8216264224 60220
NHL totals 285659415946 120220

International

[edit]
Year Team Event Result GPGAPtsPIM
2014 United States IH18 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 556112
2026 United States WC 8th 81780
Junior totals 556112
Senior totals 81780

Awards and honors

[edit]
Award Year Ref
USHL
CCM/USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game 2014 [26]
All-Rookie Second Team 2015

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "Tommy Novak". Elite Prospects. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Tom Novak". Team USA Hockey. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  3. ↑ Skrbina, Paul (November 14, 2023). "The improbable, unnoticed rise of Nashville Predators center Tommy Novak". The Tennessean. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  4. ↑ "High school hockey: Tommy Novak leaving STA to play in USHL". August 14, 2014.
  5. ↑ Yerdon, Joe (November 27, 2014). "Novak lurking on edge of center pool in 2015 Draft". NHL.com. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016.
  6. ↑ "2015 NHL Draft: Nashville Predators Select Thomas Novak 85th Overall in 3rd Round". On the Forecheck. June 27, 2015. Archived from the original on June 30, 2015.
  7. ↑ Wells, Nathan (December 3, 2014). "Minnesota signs 6 during early signing period". SB Nation College Hockey. Archived from the original on May 27, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Tommy Novak – Men's Hockey". University of Minnesota Athletics.
  9. ↑ "Novak Signs ATO with Milwaukee Admirals". March 20, 2019.
  10. ↑ "Novak Named AHL Rookie of the Month". December 2, 2019.
  11. ↑ "Predators Sign Tommy Novak to Two-Year, Entry-Level Contract". NHL.com. March 25, 2020. Archived from the original on March 26, 2020.
  12. ↑ "Predators goalie Connor Ingram makes NHL debut after personal struggles". The Tennessean.
  13. ↑ "Game Day: Rangers vs. Preds Preview". NHL.com. October 21, 2021.
  14. ↑ "Predators push winning streak to seven with OT goal against Blackhawks | NHL.com". www.nhl.com. December 18, 2021.
  15. ↑ "Predators Sign Tommy Novak to One-Year, Two-Way Contract | Nashville Predators". www.nhl.com. July 18, 2022.
  16. ↑ "Predators Sign Tommy Novak to One-Year, $800,000 Contract | Nashville Predators". www.nhl.com. February 8, 2023.
  17. 1 2 "Nashville Predators Place Tommy Novak On IR". Pro Hockey Rumors. November 14, 2023.
  18. ↑ Kimmel, Ann (December 8, 2023). "Tommy Novak on His Return to the Lineup: "It Was a Good Step"". The Hockey News.
  19. ↑ "Predators Sign Tommy Novak to Three-Year, $10.5 Million Contract". NHL.com. March 4, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  20. ↑ "Penguins trade Bunting to Predators for Schenn, Novak, ship Desharnais to Sharks". NHL.com. National Hockey League. March 5, 2025. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
  21. ↑ Guerriero, Justin. "Tommy Novak proves adept at frequently shifting around Penguins' lineup". community.triblive.com.
  22. ↑ Gretz, Adam (May 14, 2026). "2025-26 season in review: Tommy Novak". pensburgh.com. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
  23. ↑ "Penguins lock up Tommy Novak with three-year extension". Sportsnet.ca. July 31, 2026. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
  24. ↑ Leitner, Tim. "Teammates On Same Track To The Top | USA Hockey Magazine". www.usahockeymagazine.com. Archived from the original on March 23, 2015.
  25. ↑ Kerr, Ben (May 5, 2015). "2015 NHL Draft Profile #35: Thomas Novak".
  26. ↑ Kennedy, Ryan. "The All-American Prospects Game will be loaded this year". The Hockey News on Sports Illustrated.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tommy_Novak&oldid=1367744742"