Introduction
Alex Newhook hasn’t played a single game for the Montreal Canadiens yet, but the fans and pundits have already spilled an extraordinary amount of ink on the St. John’s native. Newhook arrives with high expectations because he is a 16th overall selection, because the man picked one spot ahead of him just signed a 62.8 million dollar contract, and because the Canadiens gave up a first- and a second-round selection for him.
Yet, Newhook is no stranger to high expectations. Ever since he was selected in 2019 by the Colorado Avalanche, he has been the crown jewel in their collection of forward prospects — arguably, with all due respect to Logan O’Connor and Martin Kaut, the only one of the bunch with a high-level upside. After a promising rookie campaign, the hope was that Newhook could step into the gaps left by the departing Nazem Kadri or Andre Burakovsky in the Avalanche lineup.
It didn’t quite work out that way. Although Newhook started the season in the top six, his position was eventually usurped by J.T. Compher midway through the season. Newhook did manage a soft landing, finding stability on a third line with O’Connor and Andrew Cogliano, but that only lasted until Lars Eller was brought in at the Trade Deadline. In truth, the Avalanche never quite figured out what they wanted from Newhook, and that showed as he slipped further and further down the lineup until eventually, he wound up in Montreal.
Voting
Seven players set themselves apart in this year’s T25U25 voting. Newhook sits just below that cohort in both the eyes of our panel and the EOTP community. In terms of average rank, Newhook finds himself clustered tightly with Joshua Roy and Owen Beck. Here, the Newfoundlander’s NHL experience likely pushed him just ahead by a nose.
T25U25 History
| 2022: #4 | 2021: #5 |
This is Newhook’s first appearance in EOTP’s T25U25, but he was ranked fourth in 2022 and fifth in 2021 by Mile High Hockey.
History of #8
| Year | #8 |
|---|---|
| 2022 | Sean Farrell |
| 2021 | Jesse Ylönen |
| 2020 | Kaiden Guhle |
| 2019 | Artturi Lehkonen |
| 2018 | Nikita Scherbak |
| 2017 | Juulsen/Scherbak (T-7) |
| 2016 | Charles Hudon |
| 2015 | Sven Andrighetto |
| 2014 | Sven Andrighetto |
| 2013 | Sebastian Collberg |
| 2012 | Jarred Tinordi |
| 2011 | Yannick Weber |
| 2010 | Alexander Avtsin |
Strengths
Since the day he was drafted, when Mile High Hockey called him the “best skater in the draft”, Newhook’s speed has defined him as a player. Indeed, his speed, still labeled “elite” by EP Rinkside’s David St. Louis, drives everything else that he is able to do on the ice. Newhook’s speed is the key to his ability to generate zone entries, it is the key to his ability to recover defensively, and it is the key to his acumen when it comes to retrieving pucks in the defensive zone and carrying it out.
Newhook is also a smart player with good instincts and good hockey sense, as demonstrated on a macro scale by his season-to-season versatility. In his rookie season, Newhook was called to be an offensive driver, which showed in his ability to create offensive chances and utilize his shot. By contrast, in his sophomore campaign, he was more of a safety valve — someone who does the dirty work, keeps a team out of trouble, starts transitions, and flips the ice.
The macro is often just an accumulation of the micro, and Newhook demonstrates his smarts through his off-puck movement and behaviour. David St. Louis notes that the forward “displays a keen sense of anticipation in the offensive zone” and that it has “become commonplace to observe him screening defenders, executing pick plays, and employing clever routes in the neutral zone to manipulate the defence.”
Weaknesses
Newhook’s biggest weakness lies in his physicality. The forward plays best off the rush and is not nearly as effective as a forechecker or a cycler. In fact, Newhook alluded to this himself when he was acquired by the Canadiens, saying that he thought that he was “a guy who likes to attack with speed kind of in every area of the game” and that Montreal’s style “fits my game pretty well, playing off the rush.”
However, Newhook’s deficiencies when it comes to physicality shouldn’t be construed as a lack of aggressiveness. While the third-year forward might not have the mass or strength to routinely win board battles, his speed does allow him to disrupt opposition players and force turnovers as they’re coming up the ice — something, again, that aligns with Montreal’s modus operandi under head coach Martin St. Louis.
Projection
Two consecutive 30-ish point seasons means that Newhook’s development curve may be flatter than what many, especially in the Mile High State, had hoped for. Still, Montreal has acquired a player who is at worst a stable NHL-level two-way third-line forward, and showed flashes of 50-60 point-a-season potential even in Colorado.
Presently, Newhook’s ceiling remains undiminished. Largely hampered by mitigating circumstances with the Avalanche, the question now will be to see if Montreal can carve out a niche that allows Newhook to properly showcase his talents to, as he put it, just “come in and be able to play.”
The Canadiens certainly believes that he can, giving the restricted free agent a four-year contract with an average annual value of 2.9 million dollars. Furthermore, the Habs’ top six is hardly set in stone, so there will be ample room for tinkering and experimentation.
It’s up to the team and the player to show that the Avalanche made a mistake in letting him go.
Peter Baugh of The Athletic joins Patrik Bexell to discuss Alex Newhook
Matt Drake
