When Wild prospect Pavel Novák got on the ice last December, it was the first time he'd skated in six months.
"I actually felt really good," he recalled.
The practice was also the first time he'd skated since undergoing chemotherapy.
"It's been amazing and kind of emotional for me," Novák said.
Now the Czech Republic native is on the brink of another first.
Novák never has lived in the United States, but the 21-year-old will be moving here as he resumes his hockey career after announcing in October that he was cancer-free.
"I just wanted to be healthy," Novák said last week at Tria Rink while in St. Paul for the Wild's development camp. "I really didn't think about the hockey. But I knew if I'm healthy, I would be able to skate and just play again.
"I'm just really looking forward to being back on the ice and hopefully play some games."
About a month after securing a three-year, entry-level contract from the Wild in May 2022, Novák publicly shared his Hodgkin's lymphoma diagnosis and that he soon would begin treatment.
In October, he posted on Instagram that he "beat the cancer."
"There is no better feeling than to be healthy again."
That same month, Novák started working out, and around seven weeks later, he was on the ice. He watched hockey "pretty much every day" while receiving treatment.
"He's just an incredible human," Wild Director of Player Development Brad Bombardir said. "For what he's gone through this year and where he's at and what his mind-set was from Day 1 when he called us to tell us that he was sick, to every day in between today, he's always kept a smile on his face."
Although Novák didn't skate at development camp because of an injury, he believes he'll be ready for training camp in September.
Drafted 146th overall in the fifth round by the Wild in 2020, Novák is a scorer. The 5-9, 170-pound right-shot winger racked up 29 goals to go along with 43 assists during his last season with Kelowna (British Columbia) in the Western Hockey League in 2021-22. He also had a goal and two assists for Czechia at the 2021 World Junior Championship and two points in two games at the 2022 tournament before it was cancelled because of COVID-19.
As for the coming season, his first as a pro since concluding junior hockey, Novák is most excited for the games, fans and being part of a team.
"That's awesome," he said.
And the Wild?
"We're excited for him to start the season," Bombardir said. "We don't know what that will look like for him, because it's been a long time. But we're willing to put in the work and be patient with him because he's a hard-working kid, good hockey player, hard worker, and what he's gone through, I think he's just earned the respect of everyone in this organization."
