Tommy Novak

Thomas Novak (born April 28, 1997) is an American professional ice hockey 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.

Tommy Novak
Born	(1997-04-28) April 28, 1997 (age 28) Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
Height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight	191 lb (87 kg; 13 st 9 lb)
Position	Center
Shoots	Left
NHL team Former teams	Pittsburgh Penguins Nashville Predators
NHL draft	85th overall, 2015 Nashville Predators
Playing career	2019–present

Early life

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

Playing career

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 ice 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]

He signed an entry-level contract with Nashville on March 25, 2020,^[10] and played in his first NHL game on October 19, 2021.^[11][12] On December 17, 2021, Novak scored his first NHL goal, against Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Marc-André Fleury in a 3–2 Nashville win.^[13]

In July 2022, Novak re-signed with Nashville on a one-year contract.^[14] On February 8, 2023, he signed a new one-year contract with Nashville.^[15] Novak finished the 2022–23 NHL season with 17 goals.^[16]

On November 14, 2023, Novak was placed on injured reserve with an upper-body injury.^[16] He returned to the line-up on December 7 after missing 11 games.^[17] On March 4, 2024, the Predators re-signed Novak to a three-year, $10.5 million contract.^[18]

On March 5, 2025, Novak was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins, alongside Luke Schenn, in exchange for Michael Bunting and a fourth-round draft pick.^[19]

International play

Novak helped lead the United States national under-18 team to a bronze medal at the 2014 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament,^[20] 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.^[21]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2011–12	St. Thomas Academy	USHS		25	14	20	34	0		6	4	5	9	2
2012–13	St. Thomas Academy	USHS		25	25	22	47	6		6	3	7	10	0
2013–14	St. Thomas Academy	USHS		25	26	44	70	8		3	4	4	8	2
2013–14	U.S. National Development Team	USHL		2	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
2014–15	Waterloo Black Hawks	USHL		46	14	34	48	12		—	—	—	—	—
2015–16	U. of Minnesota	B1G		37	6	21	27	4		—	—	—	—	—
2016–17	U. of Minnesota	B1G		20	5	9	14	10		—	—	—	—	—
2017–18	U. of Minnesota	B1G		34	3	23	26	8		—	—	—	—	—
2018–19	U. of Minnesota	B1G		38	4	17	21	4		—	—	—	—	—
2018–19	Milwaukee Admirals	AHL		3	0	1	1	0		1	0	0	0	0
2019–20	Milwaukee Admirals	AHL		60	11	31	42	18		—	—	—	—	—
2020–21	Florida Everblades	ECHL		3	1	2	3	0		—	—	—	—	—
2020–21	Chicago Wolves	AHL		27	8	24	32	4		—	—	—	—	—
2021–22	Milwaukee Admirals	AHL		42	7	27	34	16		6	1	5	6	2
2021–22	Nashville Predators	NHL		27	1	6	7	2		—	—	—	—	—
2022–23	Milwaukee Admirals	AHL		25	11	15	26	2		—	—	—	—	—
2022–23	Nashville Predators	NHL		51	17	26	43	8		—	—	—	—	—
2023–24	Nashville Predators	NHL		71	18	27	45	8		6	0	0	0	0
2024–25	Nashville Predators	NHL		52	13	9	22	4		—	—	—	—	—
2024–25	Pittsburgh Penguins	NHL		2	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				203	49	68	117	22		6	0	0	0	0

International

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2014	United States	IH18			5	5	6	11	2
Junior totals					5	5	6	11	2

Awards and honors

Award	Year	Ref
USHL
CCM/USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game	2014	[22]
All-Rookie Second Team	2015