Third-round pick, fast start in Sudbury
Nemec is the third-round draft choice of the Ottawa Senators. He only arrived in Sudbury this past January, but wasted little time making an impression, putting together a 14-goal, 35-point season over 31 games with the Sudbury Wolves.
A family connection to the Senators
Nemec's tie to Ottawa runs deeper than the draft. In late January, the Senators defeated the Devils 4-1 in a game at Canadian Tire Centre that Nemec attended with the Sudbury Wolves. His older brother Simon, then a New Jersey Devils player, was in Ottawa for that same game, giving Adam a rare chance to watch his brother play an NHL game in the building where his own draft rights now sit.
Nemec said seeing the Senators locker room during that January visit made his draft prospects feel real. "It was great to see the locker room, and now it's reality," he said.
Training with an NHL brother
Having a brother already playing in the NHL has shaped how Nemec approaches his own development. He said training alongside Simon helps him grow both on and off the ice. "Yeah, I think it helps a lot. Like to see an NHL player on-ice and off the ice," Nemec said.
Life off the ice in Sudbury
Adjusting to a new city and a new league is easier with familiar company. Nemec shares a billet family in Sudbury with fellow Slovak player Jan Chovan, calling the arrangement "super crazy" in a good way.
He's also been branching out. Nemec said he tried golf for the first time recently and found it fun, noting it was his first time on a course just last week.
What led here
Nemec's rise comes during a busy stretch for the Senators' prospect pipeline. Goaltending prospect Lucas Beckman is carrying his own QMJHL championship run into the organization's Prospect Challenge, and forward Eskild Bakke Olsen is using this weekend's Prospect Challenge in Gatineau to chase his own NHL opportunity. You can read more in ottown's earlier report and ottown's earlier report.
For a franchise leaning heavily on its prospect pool, Nemec's blend of production in Sudbury and a family head start in the NHL makes him one to watch as the Senators build out their forward depth.
Sources: NHL.com (Ottawa Senators)
