Šimon Nemec
Šimon Nemec | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 15, 2004 Liptovský Mikuláš, Slovakia |
| Occupation | Professional ice hockey defenseman |
| Years active | 2019–present |
| Known for | Being the second overall pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft; playing for the New Jersey Devils; winning bronze at the 2022 Winter Olympics with Slovakia |
Šimon Nemec (born 15 February 2004) is a Slovak professional ice hockey defenseman currently playing for the New Jersey Devils in the National Hockey League (NHL). Selected second overall by the Devils in the 2022 NHL entry draft, he and Juraj Slafkovský hold the distinction of being the highest-drafted Slovak players in history.
On the international stage, Nemec competes for Slovakia and was instrumental in winning the bronze medal at the 2022 Winter Olympics, marking Slovakia’s inaugural Olympic ice hockey podium finish. He represents a new wave of Slovak athletes gaining prominence worldwide.
HK Nitra
Nemec, a native of Liptovský Mikuláš, Slovakia, launched his professional journey with HK Nitra in the Slovak Tipos Extraliga during the 2019–20 season when he was just 15 years old. Initially, he divided his playing time among the Tipos Extraliga, Slovak 2. Liga, and Slovakia’s junior national team before dedicating himself entirely to the Tipos Extraliga.
In the 2021 Canadian Hockey League import draft, Nemec was chosen fourth overall by the Cape Breton Eagles, but he opted to continue developing his skills in Slovakia during his draft-eligible year. Throughout the 2021–22 campaign, he amassed 26 points (1 goal, 25 assists) across 39 regular-season games and contributed 17 points (5 goals, 12 assists) in 19 playoff appearances. His efforts helped HK Nitra reach the finals, where they were ultimately defeated by HC Slovan Bratislava.
New Jersey Devils
Following his strong performance in the Slovak Extraliga's 2021–22 season, Nemec rose to prominence as one of the premier defensive prospects for the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, contending closely with Czech player David Jiříček for top defenseman honors. Numerous scouts anticipated him being selected within the top five picks. On 7 July 2022, the New Jersey Devils secured Nemec with the second overall pick, just behind fellow Slovak Juraj Slafkovský. This marked a historic moment as Slovak players occupied both top draft positions for only the second time a European country achieved such a feat, following Russia’s accomplishment in 2004. Nemec formalized his commitment by signing a three-year entry-level contract with New Jersey on 14 July 2022.
During the 2022–23 season, Nemec spent his entire time with the Devils’ AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets, where he registered 12 goals and added 22 assists over 65 games.
Nemec was recalled to the Devils’ NHL roster on 1 December 2023 and made his league debut that evening, recording two assists despite a 6–3 loss to the San Jose Sharks. He netted his first NHL goal on 7 December, delivering the game-winning score in a tight 2–1 victory against the Seattle Kraken. In the course of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Nemec scored a pivotal double-overtime goal during game three of New Jersey’s first-round matchup versus the Carolina Hurricanes.
On 12 November 2025, he achieved his first career hat trick and secured an overtime winner in a thrilling 4–3 contest against the Chicago Blackhawks.
International play
Nemec represented Slovakia at various levels internationally. At the 2021 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, he led his team with four points and was recognized as one of Slovakia’s top three performers. He made his senior national team debut at the 2021 IIHF World Championship. Later that year, as captain of Slovakia’s U18 squad at the 2021 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, Nemec guided his team to a silver medal while earning tournament MVP honors after tallying six points in five games.
Following the cancellation of the 2022 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships due to COVID-19 concerns, Nemec was named to Slovakia’s roster for the 2022 Winter Olympics. Alongside fellow young talents Samuel Kňažko and Juraj Slafkovský, he contributed an assist over seven matches as Slovakia captured its first-ever Olympic medal in ice hockey by securing bronze against Sweden. At that year’s 2022 IIHF World Championship, Nemec led all Slovak defensemen in scoring with one goal and five assists across eight games.
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2019–20 | Team Slovakia U18 | Slovak-Jr. | 12 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Team Slovakia U18 | Slovak.1 | 16 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | HK Nitra | Slovak-Jr. | 13 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | HK Nitra | Slovak | 12 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | HK Levice | Slovak.1 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | HK Nitra | Slovak | 37 | 2 | 17 | 19 | 12 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 | HK Nitra | Slovak | 39 | 1 | 25 | 26 | 20 | 19 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 14 | ||
| 2022–23 | Utica Comets | AHL | 65 | 12 | 22 | 34 | 20 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2023–24 | Utica Comets | AHL | 13 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 60 | 3 | 16 | 19 | 33 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2024–25 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 27 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 14 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2024–25 | Utica Comets | AHL | 34 | 5 | 18 | 23 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 87 | 5 | 18 | 23 | 47 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Slovakia | HG18 | 7th | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2021 | Slovakia | WJC | 8th | 5 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2 | |
| 2021 | Slovakia | WC | 8th | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2021 | Slovakia | HG18 | Template:Silver2 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 2 | |
| 2022 | Slovakia | OG | Template:Bronze3 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 2022 | Slovakia | WC | 8th | 8 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 2 | |
| 2023 | Slovakia | WJC | 6th | 5 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 10 | |
| 2023 | Slovakia | WC | 9th | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| 2024 IIHF World Championship | Slovakia | WC | 7th | 8 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 2 | |
| Ice hockey at the 2026 Winter Olympics – Men's qualification | Slovakia | Ice hockey at the Olympic Games#Qualification | Q | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| Junior totals | 20 | 2 | 16 | 18 | 14 | ||||
| Senior totals | 35 | 2 | 13 | 15 | 10 | ||||
External links
- Pages with script errors
- Articles with short description
- Articles with hCards
- No local image but image on Wikidata
- 2004 births
- Living people
- HK Levice players
- HK Nitra players
- Ice hockey figures from Liptovský Mikuláš
- Ice hockey competitors at the 2022 Winter Olympics
- 2022 Winter Olympics medal recipients
- NHL first-round selections
- New Jersey Devils draft selections
- New Jersey Devils athletes
- Slovakia Olympic bronze medal winners
- Slovak Olympic ice hockey participants
- Olympic ice hockey medalists
- Slovak ice hockey defensemen
- Utica Comets team members
- 21st-century Slovak athletes
- New Jersey Devils draft picks