The Blue Jackets closed out their seven-player 2026 NHL Draft class with a seventh-round swing on Filip Novak, a 6-foot-1, 200-pound winger from Czechia who brings a big frame, real speed and a competitive edge to the table.
Columbus took Novak with pick No. 206, and his appeal starts with the stuff you can see right away. He’s a fierce competitor with a decent two-way game, but his size, strength and pace are the traits that jump off the page. That physical package helped him stand out this past season while he split time across three levels in Czech hockey, logging 28 games with his club’s junior team, nine with the professional team and 11 more in Czechia’s second league on loan.
His best stretch came in the U20 league after he missed most of the previous season because of injury. There, Novak put up 11 goals and 35 points in 28 games and was dominant at that level, using his larger frame to create a clear advantage over younger opponents.
The production didn’t carry nearly as much in the pro ranks, where he managed four points across 20 combined games in the two professional leagues. That fit the role he was given, mostly bottom-six minutes where his size was less of a separator.
What Novak has going for him is more than just brute force. He’s quick to process the game when the puck arrives, and he can go from receiving it to making a pass or getting a shot off in less than a second.
That gives him a chance to punish a defense the moment a lane opens. He also passes the puck fairly well in structure, including on one-touch plays, though his backhand is a weaker area and he can have trouble delivering hard passes over distance.
The shot has a similar profile. Novak can be dangerous from close range and gets it away quickly, but the accuracy comes and goes, and he usually doesn’t generate much power.
He’s better at shielding the puck than actually dancing with it, using his size to protect possession, but he isn’t a very creative handler and doesn’t move laterally especially well. The backhand again shows up as a limitation when he tries to make a move.
Even with those offensive holes, Novak brings some useful habits. He’s positionally sound, willing to battle for pucks and quick to get himself into scoring areas, especially around the net. He also holds up well defensively, where his speed and acceleration make him tough to beat cleanly and his strength helps keep opponents from getting to the front of the goal.
There were signs of growth in the playoffs in the second Czech league, where he finished with four goals and two assists in 10 games. Those games showed more offensive upside, and his quick decision-making and awareness around space stood out.
Novak will head back to his club in Czechia next season, though his path could shift after that. He was drafted into both the CHL and USHL, which shows there’s North American junior interest in him.
He was also one of the more divisive names in draft rankings, with some scouts slotting him between rounds 3 and 5 and others leaving him off entirely. In this view, he landed about where he should have, and a fifth-round selection would have been a slight reach.
For Columbus, it’s a classic late-round bet: a player with a couple of real tools, plenty left to polish, and a narrow but visible route to becoming a speedy bottom-six forward. Eric Robinson is the kind of player that path could resemble.
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