Adam Nemec
2025-26 Team: Sudbury Wolves (OHL)
Date of Birth: Oct. 18, 2007
Place of Birth: Liptovsky Mikulas, Slovakia
Ht: 6-foot-1 Wt: 176 pounds
Shoots: Left
Position: F
NHL Draft Eligibility: 2026 first-year eligible
Rankings
- NHL Central Scouting Final Rankings: 27th (among NA skaters)
- Peter Baracchini’s Top 96 March Rankings: 47th
- Andrew Forbes’ Top 96 April Rankings: 45th
- Jordan Orth’s Top 64 April Rankings: 48th
- Dayton Reimer’s Top 64 March Rankings: 45th
- Craig Button’s (TSN) March List: Unranked
- Steven Ellis’ (Daily Faceoff) April List: 64th
- Jason Bukala’s (Sportsnet) May List: Unranked
- Tony Ferrari’s Top 75 April Rankings: 42nd
- SMAHT Scouting Midseason Rankings: 64th
After a draft-eligible season that kicked off in his native country of Slovakia with HK Nitra, Adam Nemec made the jump the North America and the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves after just 28 games. Back home, his offensive development halted with just three goals and 15 points in those 28 games. However, his jump to major junior saw increased opportunity and a jump in offensive numbers – beneficial for the draft-year prospect.
He closed out the OHL season with the Wolves, recording 14 goals and 35 points in 31 regular season games before adding two assists in just four postseason games for his OHL club. However, even with the offensive boost in Ontario, Nemec’s overall development has still come into question regarding whether or not he can develop into something more than a bottom-six forward at the NHL level. And, more importantly, how his game will transition to the NHL level.
In terms of puck possession, Nemec protects it well and that has benefitted his game. That said, he’s quick to make decisions and that can be costly from time to time. His back checking is one of his stronger skills, using his speed to be one of the first ones back and his presence in the defensive zone can be a nuisance to opposing players. The kind of defensive coverage Nemec provides could be what drives his overall draft stock.
As for his offensive production, it did stall earlier in the season and hasn’t pushed the overall needle on his development. It’s not so much that his offence has decreased as much as the rest of the class has caught up to him over the last calendar year. If Nemec could jump this hurdle in his development, he could push himself into a middle-six role when he makes the jump to the NHL, but don’t expect that to be soon. There’s a lot of potential for Nemec moving forward, but it needs to be with an organization that can get his development back on track and mould the skills that he already possesses.
Other THW Draft Profiles
Adam Nemec – NHL Draft Projection
It seems fairly unanimous that Nemec is projecting to be a late second-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. He’s ranging from 42 to 64 for draft rankers out there and given the progress he made following the move the OHL, that seems like a safe place for teams to jump on Nemec. Don’t be shocked if he moves slightly into the middle part of the second round, but it’s unlikely he sees the third round.
Quotables
“Adam has a strong stride, allowing him to generate speed on the rush and be the first forward back defensively. He plays at an extremely high pace, often sprinting through shifts and applying constant pressure on back checks and forechecks. Sometimes this can be counted as a weakness, as he rushes decisions without a plan, but his offensive flashes pop with puck protection along the boards and small-area skill where he has learned to play with maturity.” – Jukka-Pekka Vuorinen, NHL Director of European Scouting
“Well, firstly he has not really improved his game that much offensively over the last couple of years. While he was once clearly ahead of his peers “skill” wise, many have caught up with him. That being said, he has still been a very productive player at the pro level in Slovakia this year, was good at the World Juniors, and since moving to the OHL has also stood out on the scoreboard.” – SMAHT Scouting
“He’s got good speed and solid habits on the forecheck. When he’s fully engaged, he can be a nuisance on the backcheck. Nemec has what NHL teams value in depth scorers, but he must improve his skill on the puck.” – Tony Ferrari, The Hockey News
“I’m not sure what type of player he’ll be in the NHL. He could be used in defensive roles, and he has some obvious hockey sense. I’m not sure he’s great at anything, though, and that could hold him back. Still, I think he should be at least a third-round pick.” – Steven Ellis, Daily Faceoff
Strengths
- Speed
- Puck protection
- Defensive zone coverage
Under Construction/Improvements to Make
- Decision-making
- Offensive production
- Growth and development
NHL Potential
Where some had him with higher potential earlier in the season, Nemec is projecting to be more of a depth option at this point in time. When he’s on, he can be a strong forechecker with the ability to gain possession of the puck, but his offensive development has dropped off and that has some wondering where he’ll stack up when he does crack the NHL. It’d be easy to say he could slot in as a middle-six, however the likelihood is that he finds himself as a depth role player platooning the third and fourth lines.
Risk-Reward Analysis
Risk – 4/5, Reward – 3/5
Fantasy Hockey Potential
Offence – 6.5/10, Defence – 7/10
Awards/Achievements
While it’s not a full case of achievements, Nemec has tallied a couple of awards in his young career. That includes winning a championship at the U20 level in Slovakia in 2023-24 with HK Nitra U20 and adding a U20 bronze medal with Slovakia in 2024-25.
Interviews/Links
Adam Nemec Stats
Videos
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