Novak, 24 (4/28/97), tied for the lead in points on the AHL's Chicago Wolves with 32 (8g-24a) in 27 games in 2020-21, his second professional season. In addition to leading Chicago in assists, he was fifth among all AHL skaters in the category and tied for 12th in points. Novak recorded eight multi-point performances and concluded the AHL's regular-season on a 10-game point streak (5g-10a) after spending time with the Predators' taxi squad. As a rookie in 2019-20, he finished third on Milwaukee in points with 42 (11g-31a), the most by a first-year Admirals skater since the 2015-16 season. Novak was second among AHL rookies in plus-minus (+20), third in assists (31) and seventh in points; he also earned AHL Rookie of the Month honors in November 2019, becoming the first Admirals player since 2015 to receive the award.
Originally drafted by the Predators in the third round (85th overall) of the 2015 NHL Draft, Novak spent four years at the University of Minnesota from 2015-19, tallying 88 points (18g-70a) in 129 games. The River Falls, Wis., native reached the 20-point mark in three of his four seasons with the Golden Gophers and helped lead his team to two consecutive Big Ten regular-season titles in 2016 and 2017. Prior to enrolling at Minnesota, Novak skated with the USHL's Waterloo Black Hawks in 2014-15 and was second on his team in scoring with 48 points (14g-34a) in 46 games.
