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Skilled forward from Slovakia, brother of New Jersey Devils defenceman Simon Nemec joins OHL club after strong showing at World Juniors
Published Jan 05, 2026 • Last updated 15 minutes ago • 3 minute read
Slovakia’s Adam Nemec (21) and Sweden’s Milton Gastrin (12) look on during preliminary action at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, Minn. on Dec. 26, 2025. Photo by Micheline Veluvolu /IIHFArticle content
Old St. Nick may have come and gone for another year, but the Sudbury Wolves and their fans received one more item on their Christmas wish list with the arrival of Adam Nemec on the weekend.
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Sudbury Wolves general manager Rob Papineau confirmed on Monday the OHL club had signed the 18-year-old winger from Slovakia, who showcased his skill, strength and smarts while producing at a point-per-game clip at the IIHF World Junior Championship in Minnesota this past week.
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Nemec drove to the Nickel City on Saturday, along with Wolves teammate and fellow national team member Jan Chovan.
“I am super excited to join the Wolves,” Nemec told The Sudbury Star.
A native of Liptovsky Mikulas and the younger brother of New Jersey Devils defenceman Simon Nemec, Adam will have his own chance to hear his name called in the NHL Entry Draft this summer. Listed as a second- or third-round candidate on NHL Central Scouting’s preliminary Players to Watch list this past fall, 6-foot-1, 176-pounder has since seen his stock rise with many draft-watchers to mid-second or even first-round status.
On the OHL
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“I’m a high-IQ forward who loves to go in front of the net,” Nemec said.
Sudbury’s second-round choice in the Canadian Hockey League Import Draft last year, Nemec had planned to spend the 2025-26 season closer to home with HK Nitra, a top team in the Slovak men’s league. A teammate of former Sudbury forward Ondrej Molnar, Nemec showed well in a limited role while collecting 15 points in 28 games, but saw his ice time taper off in recent weeks.
“I didn’t play the big roles in Nitra, so I decided to move here,” Nemec explained. “I heard from Jan and Ondrej Molnar that Sudbury is really good organization.”
He’s grateful for the experience of playing in a men’s league, where he often faced off against bigger, stronger and more physical players and even former NHLers, but he’s eager to play big minutes in the OHL while adjusting to the smaller North American ice.
“I need to improve my defence,” Nemec suggested.
He’s sure Chovan, a Los Angeles Kings prospect who had made his own successful transition to the major-junior game, will only help him settle in more quickly. He also looks forward to reuniting with fellow Slovaks Tomas Pobezal, who plays for the Kingston Frontenacs, and Alex Misiak, a member of the Erie Otters. Those two were also members of the Slovak national junior team that had a competitive run at the WJC in Minneapolis and St. Paul, but was eliminated by Canada in the quarter-finals on Friday night.
“It was great experience,” Nemec said. “We hoped for better ending, but this is hockey.”
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Now, he’s focused on helping the Wolves build on their strong finish to the first half of the regular season. After seeing their five-game win streak ended in Barrie on Wednesday, the locals returned home to defeat the North Bay Battalion 6-2.
If Nemec plays a key role in a strong finish, he’s sure to solidify his draft status and get the chance to follow in his older sibling’s footsteps to a big-league career.
“Simon is a great inspiration for me and shows me that it’s possible to reach the NHL even from a small country like Slovakia.”
Slovak connection
Having added the likes of Molnar, Dalibor Dvorsky, Adam Ruzicka, Dominik Jendek and Jakub Chromiak in recent seasons, the Wolves have maintained a strong pipeline to the Slovak Republic with the signings of Chovan and now Nemec.
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Many of those players are represented by ISM Sports, the agency fronted by former pro player Marcel Sakac.
“Adam is an outstanding add for us,” Papineau said. “It’s like a big, free trade, where you’re bringing in a player of World Junior calibre without having to give anything up, like draft picks or young players.
“He’s a massive piece, a top-six type of forward we can add to our group.”
Much like Dvorsky, Jendek and Chovan, Papineau said Nemec is also a responsible two-way forward who doesn’t shirk his defensive duties for the sake of offensive opportunities.
“He works both ends of the ice, both sides of the puck,” Sudbury’s GM said. “Jan is the same. It seems to be a bit of a Slovak thing when they’re coming up through their system. They’re hard workers.
“Adam has got a great attitude, he’s super excited to be here and we had fun watching him at the world juniors.”
Nemec’s first chance to play at Sudbury Community Arena will be this coming Friday, when the Wolves host the Niagara IceDogs for a 7:05 p.m. faceoff.
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