The New Jersey Titans are excited to announce that Wade Novak has committed to play Division III hockey at Wilkes University for the 2018-19 season.
Novak is a 21-year-old forward from Oak Ridge, N.J. and spent the 2017-18 campaign with the Titans. In 56 regular season games, he recorded 14 goals and 16 assists for a total of 30 points. He would also lead the team with three goals in their playoff series against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights.
“It’s feels great to commit to Wilkes University and further my hockey career. After taking a year off, I wasn’t sure what was going to happen with hockey. The Titans organization took me in and made me the player I am right now, big thanks to them,” Novak said of his commitment.
The Wilkes Colonials is a Division III program that will be playing its inaugural season in the United Collegiate Hockey Conference. The program will be led by head coach Brett Riley.
“I loved that it was a smaller school with only about 3,000 students. I’m more drawn to the small classes instead of big lectures. The hockey aspect was pretty easy to decide on as well. I know a lot of the players that are already committed and I can’t wait to get things going in the fall,” Novak said.
Titans head coach Craig Doremus spoke about Novak’s commitment and how he improved over the course of the season.
“We are extremely proud of Wade on this accomplishment. Coach Riley is getting a great young man and a very, very good hockey player in Wilkes. Wade made tremendous strides throughout this past season and was playing his best hockey in the postseason,” Doremus said. “I am so excited to watch Wade continue to grow and develop while in college and pursue a career in professional hockey. We wish Wade and the Novak family nothing but the best of luck moving forward.”
Novak also gave credit to the Titans for getting his game back up to speed after taking a year off from competitive hockey.
“This past season with the Titans couldn’t have gone any better for me. I had a slower start in the beginning of the season, which I expected just because it was my first time playing competitive games in a year,” he said. “But then towards the end of the season I felt like I couldn’t do wrong. My teammates were extremely easy to play with and the systems put in place by Craig and Bobby were tough at first, but I just bought in and it worked out great for me. Craig and Bobby were definitely a huge part in why I’m the player I am today.”
The Titans would like to congratulate Wade and his family as he continues his hockey career at the Division III collegiate level.