NHL Player of the Month: Nick Suzuki
Another month means another point-per-game performance from Nick Suzuki. He not only plays every game but almost always gets on the scoresheet. There were only eight games in February, and the first five generally went poorly for the team, but Suzuki came out with nine points and was one of the few players on the team with an even goal differential.
Nick Suzuki RIPS one short side, top corner on the power play, 3-0 #Habs
— Matt Drake (@drakemt.bsky.social) February 25, 2025 at 9:19 PM
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A playoff spot became a near impossibility with the 1-7-1 stretch leading up to the 4 Nations Face-Off, but the captain and his teammates maintain that the goal is still to get there, which would entail making up the five-point gap and leaping over four teams in the race. You can count on Suzuki doing his part to help the team in that improbable feat, and finishing with the first point-per-game season of his career.
Honourable mention: Alex Newhook
It hadn’t been a good season for Alex Newhook after showing a lot of promise in his first year as a Hab. Despite playing all 59 games so far, he ranks 11th on the team with just 20 points, 14 below what he managed in 55 games last season. In February, he looked more like the dangerous player he was in 2023-24, ranking second on the team with seven points, and managing to sit one point back of Suzuki in power-play production despite playing on the second unit.
Great play by Alex Newhook to set up a Brendan Gallagher power play goal Habs down 2-1
— Scott Matla (@scottmatla.bsky.social) February 9, 2025 at 2:46 PM
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He finished February with an expected-goal share of 55.3% at five-on-five, behind only linemate Kirby Dach’s 60.6% for best among the forwards. While Dach is now out of the lineup for the rest of the season, Newhook has continued to look good with Owen Beck taking up the centre spot on his line, notching points in the first two games of Dach’s absence, including knocking in the puck on a play that resulted in Beck’s first NHL point. Their chemistry should only grow with more time together, so March could be another good month for the Newfoundlander.
— Justin Blades
AHL Player of the Month: Sean Farrell
It has been a tale of two seasons for Sean Farrell in Laval this year. He spent part of the early season as a scratch and in the Rocket bottom six while struggling to maintain a place as a legitimate NHL prospect. As February rolled around and the Rocket began to battle an injury crisis, Farrell rose to the challenge and then some as he has become arguably the hottest player on the team in the last month.
With eight goals and seven assists to his name, it’s the best month that Farrell has recorded since turning pro and is a key reason why the Rocket are keeping their division title hopes alive. He kicked off the month with two goals and an assist against Hartford before following it up with a hat trick in a win over Toronto, all while looking like a totally new player in all facets.
A lot of Farrell’s early-season struggles came from his size being used against him on the boards as opponents used their larger frames to shove him around and force him to rush a lot of his opportunities. As he has adjusted to the physicality we’ve seen his hockey IQ on full display as he finds new lanes and chances with ease. His head is constantly scanning the zone, and his skill set has let him squeeze passes into areas you wouldn’t think were open time and time again.
Absolutely no idea how Sean Farrell threaded this pass to Alex Barré-Boulet but he did Rocket trailing 3-2!
— Scott Matla (@scottmatla.bsky.social) February 19, 2025 at 9:19 PM
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Above all else, we’ve Sean Farrell become much more assertive, taking charge of the play instead of just going along for the ride. With his entry-level contract up at the end of the season, this run of form has given management much to think about going forward.
— Scott Matla
European Prospect of the Month: Oliver Kapanen
The ascent of Oliver Kapanen continues. After the first line of Kapanen-Dahlén-Hållander was reunited, it has been the best line in the SHL.
Kapanen’s quick hands and size in front of the net yielded nine points (4G, 5A) in eight games. On top of that, he got to represent Finland in the Sweden Hockey Games where he scored an insurance goal against Czechia. He went pointless against Sweden and Switzerland, but Finland won the tournament with ease.
The thing that stands out with Kapanen is how well he plays centre in the defensive zone, but he also defers to especially Hållander in the offensive zone. His future in the NHL might be as a winger with extra duties when it comes to draws and defensive responsibilities. He has improved in all areas of the game except running an offence, but that might be something that Timrå keeps hidden as the SHL playoffs are about to start.
Oliver Kapanen's 14th goal and 30th point in 30 games. Kapanen has a goal and assist in the first period. #Habs
— Patrik Bexell (@zebhabs.bsky.social) February 25, 2025 at 2:47 PM
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While the ice sheets are bigger in the SHL and offer a bit more time to adjust, the way Kapanen hides the puck and gets his shot off quickly has been one of his trademark moves, used to good effect, it also highlights the usage he has on a power-play unit even if most of the goals and assists that he has registered during the season have been during five-on-five.
— Patrik Bexell
North American Prospect of the Month: Michael Hage
It has been a bit of a down month for the North American group, with Jacob Fowler only managing to maintain his solid save percentage on the season and all but one skater failing to reach a point per game in February. That skater was Michael Hage.
The Habs’ 21st-overall selection in the 2024 NHL Draft scored two goals and added five assists in six games last month, five of which were collected in the first two games against Penn State and Michigan State. Still averaging above 16 minutes a game, Hage is settling into his top-six role at Michigan and making the most of it.
Despite some repeatedly strong performances since the start of his freshman NCAA season resulting in a tally of 32 points in 30 games, this is Hage’s first appearance on this list. Fowler and Sam Harris’s stellar sophomore years, along with an astounding stretch in December for Owen Protz, barely kept him from claiming the honour
It was only a matter of time before Hage earned his way onto this list, however. The dazzling transition skill, high-end footwork, and improving board game have been combining wonderfully for Hage this year. Add to that a legitimate NHL shot and some high-end playmaking vision, and Hage has all the tools to become an elite NCAA scorer before making the jump to pro hockey in a couple of years.
— Hadi Kalakeche
PWHL Player of the Month: Ann-Renée Desbiens
Montreal Victoire head coach Kori Cheverie said recently that Ann-Renée Desbiens is having the best stretch she has ever seen her play. Desbiens is in the middle of an 11-game streak where she has not allowed more than two goals. In four February starts, she went 3-1 with a 1.51 goals-against average and .943 save percentage. The only game she lost in the month was a 3-1 loss to Ottawa in which they scored into an empty net.
It’s not just Desbiens’s numbers that were impressive, but how she kept Montreal in games where they were losing, or helped them keep the momentum in games they were winning.
Desbiens leads the league with a 10-2-1 record this season with a PWHL-best 1.75 goals-against average and .936 save percentage. By her own admission, she wasn’t happy with her performance last season and the rest of the league is suffering as a result.
If not for Desbiens leading the way, this easily could have gone to captain Marie-Philip Poulin, who had four goals and two assists in five games last month. She leads the PWHL with 12 goals, five of which have been game-winners.
— Jared Book
| NHL Player | AHL Player | EUR Prospect | NA Prospect | PWHL Player | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February | Nick Suzuki | Sean Farrell | Oliver Kapanen | Michael Hage | Ann-Renée Desbiens |
| January | Nick Suzuki | Cayden Primeau | Ivan Demidov | Jacob Fowler | Marie-Philip Poulin |
| December | Jake Evans | Adam Engström | Oliver Kapanen | Owen Protz | Abby Boreen |
| November | Nick Suzuki | Jared Davidson | Oliver Kapanen | Jacob Fowler | |
| October | Cole Caufield | Joshua Roy | Ivan Demidov | Sam Harris |
Players of January
Players of December
Players of November
Players of October
