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Thomas Novak put up five goals and 11 points in five games at the Ivan Hlinka Tournament last summer, helping the United States to a Bronze medal in the tournament. He also played for the United States team at the 2014 five nations, helping the team to a gold medal. He scored the overtime gold medal winner against Denmark and put up seven points in four games overall playing for the United States at the World Junior A Hockey Championship. The 3rd overall pick of the 2013 USHL Draft, Waterloo gave up a big package to get him in an off-season move from Des Moines. Playing with Brock Boeser, he had 14 goals and 48 points in 46 games for the Waterloo Blackhawks of the USHL this season. He did miss some time late in the year with what the team called a “lower body injury.” Novak is committed to the University of Minnesota for next season. If he changes his mind, his CHL rights are owned by the Kitchener Rangers.
Tom Novak
Center/Left Wing — shoots Left
Born Apr 28 1997 — River Falls, WI
Height 6.01 — Weight 179 [185 cm/81 kg]
Thomas Novak is a very good skater. He has a smooth stride that generates very good speed and excellent acceleration. He uses his ability to vary speeds to fool defenders and open up passing lanes. Novak has a very quick first step, and it helps him win races to loose pucks. Novak has the agility and edgework to beat defenders when it is combined with his good stick handling. He could stand to add more lower body strength in order to be stronger on his skates.
Thomas Novak is a creative playmaker with great stickhandling ability, crisp tape-to-tape passes and excellent vision. Novak has good offensive instincts and seems to make smart plays with the puck more often than not. He has high hockey IQ, and seems to be a step or two ahead of the game at times. Novak is a very good stickhandler, and shows the poise to protect the puck and slow the game down, while waiting for a teammate to get open. He often darts into open areas immediately after making the pass, looking for the give and go play. Novak has the soft hands necessary to be able to stickhandle in a phone booth. He also has a good wrist shot and a decent release, but just does not seem to use it often enough. Novak can finish plays in close to the net, with the ability to pounce on rebounds or tip in shots. Novak gets in quickly on the forecheck and creates turnovers. While he isn’t a huge hitter, he is not afraid to battle in the corners or fight for space in front of the net. He could stand to add some more muscle to his frame though to be more effective in these situations.
Thomas Novak could continue to work on his defensive game. The effort is there, but he needs some coaching on positioning and decision making in his own end of the rink. I don’t see the bad habits of flying the zone early or puck watching in his own zone, and the intensity is there, but Novak just seems lost at times in his own end. When he is able to create a turnover, he is able to move the puck quickly and start the transition game.
Thomas Novak could be an effective second line centre in the NHL, with the skills to really help out on the powerplay if he can reach his ceiling. His game can be reminiscent of a combination of Patrick Kane and Nicklas Backstrom. This is a stylistic comparison though, and not a talent one.
Below are some highlight videos of Thomas Novak in action.
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