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Scout
06-17-2005, 09:02 PM
Interesting Scouting report on former Pat, Novak


Filip Novak, D - 2nd round, 64th overall (Regina Pats, WHL)
Status: NHL Prospect
NHL games played: 0

At draft time, Novak was said to be a highly skilled offensive defenseman, who was a little undersized and a little soft. He was named Regina's Rookie of the Year and played in the 2000 Top Prospects game. He made an appearance at the Rangers training camp later on that year and was so impressive that he was voted by local media as the best rookie in camp and awarded the Lars-Erik Sjoberg Award. Upon returning to Regina, Novak stepped up his game, frequently paired with St Louis prospect, Barret Jackman. However, due to some confusion between Novak and his former Czech team, he wasn't given permission to compete at the World Juniors. His first season after being drafted ended with Regina placing third in Memorial Cup competition after hosting the tournament.

Despite gaining plenty of muscle and playing a well rounded game, Novak again saw himself returned to the WHL for the 2001-02. He was one of the best defensemen in the WHL, however, that wasn't good enough for New York to hold onto him. The emergence of Fedor Tyutin had made Novak expendable and he found his NHL rights being sent to sunny Florida at the 2002 trade deadline along with a collection of draft picks and veteran Igor Ulanov for Pavel Bure.

After a strong rookie year in the AHL with San Antonio, even being named to the AHL All-Rookie Team, Novak missed the entire 2003-04 season with a torn ligament in his ankle. He returned to the Rampage lineup for the 2004-05 season and although his production suffered from missing a year, it appears that he will soon be able to challenge for an NHL roster spot. He finds himself behind other young players such as Jay Bouwmeester and Lukas Krajicek in the Panthers depth chart, so it will be interesting to see if Novak is able to muscle his way onto a power play unit when he does make the jump.