No Ordinary Guy

r There’s nothing routine about Stepan Novotny.

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r The Rockets’ rookie forward has a unique set of hockey skills for starters. At 6’2” and 194 pounds, Novotny’s abundant offensive talent is powered by his outstanding skating skills and great shot.

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r Born and raised in the historic city of Prague in the Czech Republic, Novotny is following a familiar path in his quest of an NHL career. Selected by Kelowna in the 2008 CHL Import Draft and eligible for the NHL draft next spring, he’s hoping the heavy WHL schedule will expedite his ascension to the pros.

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r But it’s the road he traveled to get this far, that’s most unusual. Although he only turned 18 on September 21, this is already Novotny’s 4^th year playing hockey in North America.

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r No, his family didn’t move across the pond in search of a better life. His Dad owns a successful construction business back home. Rather, Stepan set sail for the West 3 years ago to pursue his dream of an NCAA hockey career.

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r By the latter statement, you might assume he was from Duluth, Minnesota or Ann Arbour, Michigan. In fact, you’d be hard pressed to name another European player with designs on the NCAA route.

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r “I wanted to play college hockey,” says Novotny who hired a private tutor to teach him English before making the trek. “At the time I looked at the NCAA as a great mix of good hockey and good education. I knew I couldn’t just come over and play one year and be ready for the NCAA.”

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r “You need time to adjust to the lifestyle in North America and the brand of hockey. And, there are entrance exams that you have to take in order to be eligible for college.”

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r So, at the tender age of 14, he packed up and headed for the famous U.S. prep school and hockey factory – Shattuck St. Mary’s in Minnesota. Sidney Crosby, Zach Parise and former Rocket, Tysen Dowzak, are among the school’s distinguished alumni.

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r After 2 seasons of varsity hockey at Shattuck, where he scored 27 goals and 32 assists in 87 regular season games, he joined the Indiana Ice of the USHL. He verbally committed to the University of Denver last season. But, his carefully laid plans took a turn shortly thereafter.

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r Basically, Novotny’s hockey skills and physical style had him looking like a prototypical NHL power forward. With the NHL calling, he felt a need to rethink his plans.

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r “I changed my mind after learning more about the college system," says Novotny whose brother, Adam attends the University of California at Berkeley. "You only play 35 to 40 games a season and that’s the main reason I decided to come to the WHL.”

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r “I want to play pro hockey and decided to take the best route.”

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r And, obviously, the Rockets are glad he did. They were extremely happy at the opportunity of drafting him and even had him ear-marked for top line duty alongside sniper, Jamie Benn, and playmaker, Colin Long.

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r Although Novotny started the season on that line, a recent shuffling of the forward units by Head Coach, Ryan Huska, sees him as part of a different trio. With 4 goals and 3 assists in his 16 games, Novotny’s still feeling his way.

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r “I had to make a big adjustment this season, for sure, especially to the speed of the game,” he says. “Obviously, the skill level in the WHL is higher than what I’ve played in the past. I am playing against so many great players.”

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r “But, I’m happy being here. Everyone has been great to me. The team and fans have welcomed me. I’m just working as hard as I can and we’ll see where it gets me.”

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r “I love the city of Kelowna with the lake and I’m looking forward to spending time here this summer. It’s not as big a city as Prague, of course, but it’s a great place to live and play hockey.”

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