Tommy Novak

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]

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]

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 upperbody 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, for Michael Bunting and a fourth round draft pick.^[19]

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]