Sens prospect Novak gets second Hobey Baker nod
Passed over in two OHL drafts, Novak now among best players in U.S. college hockey
Being a long shot to win the award doesn't diminish the honour of being nominated once again for Windsor's Jakov Novak.
A junior winger for the Bentley University Falcons hockey team, the 22-year-old Novak has been nominated for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award as NCAA Division I hockey's top player.
“I was lucky enough to be nominated last year, as well,” Novak said. “It's a big accomplishment.”
More than 60 players have been nominated for the award and fans can vote online at hobeybacker.com/vote. The list of 10 finalists will be announced on March 8.
Novak could use some hometown support because votes might be hard to come by for the Ottawa Senators' prospect, who plays at the small private university in Waltham, Mass.
“You have guys at bigger schools who will be obtaining (online) votes, but it's an honour to be nominated as the best college player,” Novak said.
Passed over twice in the Ontario Hockey League draft, the Windsor Minor Hockey Association product headed to the United States to play in Wisconsin for the Janesville Jets in the North American Hockey League. At the end of his second season, he was named the league's most valuable player and forward of the year after posting 32 goals, 73 points and 131 penalty minutes in 56 games, but his overall game has changed with the Falcons.
“I took the puck and went and kind of was a one-way player,” Novak said of his final season with the Jets. “In college, there are four other guys on the ice who can finish the play and you're putting more trust in the team.”
Still, that final season before heading to Bentley prompted the Senators to make him a seventh-round pick in the 2108 draft, and his focus since has been to continue to develop and earn an NHL contract.
“(The Senators) call every two weeks,” said the 6-foot-3, 210-pound Novak, who was a conference all-star last season. “They keep me up on health, eating and the mental side. If I ask a question, they send back corrective work, which is awesome.
“My game's more explosive. Being able to get stronger, faster and maintain a lean weight, I'm still able to maintain that and get stronger and more agile.”
Athletic departments nominate players for the award, which places an emphasis on strength, character on and off the ice, integrity to the team, skill in all phases of the game, scholastic achievement and sportsmanship.
“It's nice being reflected as someone who fulfils that,” said Novak, who is maintaining a 3.5 grade-point average in finance. “My game has changed into being more a complete player. I'm more of a leader and managing my time and little parts of life that a lot of people take for granted.”
By going to the NCAA, Novak has up to four years to sign with the Senators and continue to allow his game to grow.
“I hope to hear something going into summer,” said Novak, who is second in team scoring with six goals and 13 points in 14 games and a plus two. “Whatever's best for my hockey career. I want to go to the next level. I want to go pro, and if that's the next step, I'm all for it. I also think school is huge for me. I have one year left and it's such a prestigious (program) and I'm doing well. There's no rush at all.”
The Falcons have played a partial season, but the club has had 11 games postponed due to COVID-19, including the last three games of the regular season.
“We don't really know the future,” said Novak, whose team is 4-11 in the Atlantic Hockey Conference with six of those losses coming in overtime.
“Our next game is scheduled for March 6 and I think that's the playoffs. It's supposed to be single-game elimination. There's no real structure to the schedule. If a team is healthy, we try to get in there.
“There's not a lot of people playing hockey, so live it up.
You just treat every game as if it might be your last.”
You have guys at bigger schools who will be obtaining (online) votes, but it's an honour to be nominated as the best college player.