It’s been a whirlwind of a calendar year for New Jersey Devils‘ defenseman Simon Nemec. From being sent down to the American Hockey League (AHL), to becoming an overtime Stanley Cup Playoff hero, to being front and center in trade rumors: he’s persevered through it all with 18 points in 31 games this season, trailing only Lane Hutson and Matthew Schaefer among U22 defensemen.
While Nemec’s roller coaster journey has been widely chronicled, what many do not know is that he has a younger brother, Adam, who is eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft. Adam was recently named to the Slovak preliminary roster for the 2026 World Junior Championships (WJC), which begins on Dec. 26.
Related: Guide to the 2026 World Junior Championship
Adam — a 6-foot-1, 176-pound forward, is exactly 1,341 days younger than Simon. That hasn’t stopped Adam from regularly beating his older brother in virtually every sport they grew up playing together, including soccer, tennis and ping-pong. “He’s probably better in every sport than me,” said Simon with a laugh to The Hockey Writers. “He’s the better athlete overall, like he’s got talent for every sport.”
Draft analysts are largely undecided on where Adam will go, which is why the 2026 WJC is a huge opportunity for him. In major rankings, he’s been listed anywhere between #22 and #58.
Like his older brother, Adam is spending his draft year playing in the pro Slovak league for ‘HK Nitra’. “I mean, [the Slovak league] is really important. We get a chance to play a lot of minutes against big guys and older guys,” said Simon.
Both Simon and Adam started playing in the Slovak league at the age of 16. For Simon, it’s clear how that experience paid off. The same could possibly be said one day for Adam.
“[Adam’s] game is growing,” said Simon. “It’s been better than the years before, like, his skating [was] not the best, but he improved that. And he’s more like a two-way — he can play on both sides of the rink, so it’s good for him. And his size is also [a plus].”
Adam’s improvement in his skating is a reason many draft analysts believe he’ll shoot up the rankings. Simon, a former Slovak captain at the WJC who had nine points across 10 games, has been in constant communication with Adam — not just about the WJC but also any other applicable areas he can advise.
“Our relationship is great, like, I try to help him and tell him which mistakes I did [so] he doesn’t have to do that,” said Simon.
While Simon may not always be able to watch live with the demands of an NHL schedule, he’s super pumped for his brother to get this opportunity. The WJC has created some of the most legendary moments in the sport.
“It’s exciting. It’s one of the most [watched] tournaments of the season. It’s during Christmas [so] everyone’s home and everyone’s gonna watch that. I’m excited for him and I hope [the Slovaks] are going to play great hockey,” said Simon.
With Simon as the captain in 2023, he led an underdog Slovak group to a shocking 6-3 upset over Luke Hughes and the Americans, and then to the brink of eliminating Connor Bedard and Canada in a 4-3 overtime loss.
While the Slovaks have not announced their leadership group, despite being one of the younger players on the team, Simon looks forward to what Adam can bring to the table: “I think he can be one of the leaders of this team. He’s [playing] pretty good hockey right now and he can be pretty good for their team.”
That’s not just a brotherly boost; Adam truly is playing his best hockey at the moment. After notching seven points in his first 21 games, Adam has eight points in his last 10. Not too bad for a just-turned 18-year-old playing against men, huh?
Adam also had four points in seven games at the U18 World Championships in April.
Adam Nemec pulls out the quick hands! 👏#IIHF #U18MensWorlds #SVKLAT @HockeySlovakia pic.twitter.com/8KwquFXDxX
— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) April 28, 2025
The Slovaks — who aim to medal for the first time since 2015 — will start their tournament against a stacked Team Sweden on Dec. 26 at 1:00 PM EST at Grand Casino Arena, home of the Minnesota Wild.
