NHL Player of the Month: Alex Newhook
Alex Newhook began his Montreal Canadiens tenure with two goals in the first game of the season versus the Toronto Maple Leafs then scored again two games later, looking like a steal of an acquisition for the Canadiens. The rest of October was more of a struggle for him at the centre position, but a move to the wing let him really lean on his strengths and get back to producing.
In November, playing mostly next to Nick Suzuki, Newhook was freed up to use his speed without worrying as much about defence, and scored four goals, all at even strength, while adding five assists. Newhook and Mike Matheson led all team skaters with seven even-strength points.
With one period left to play in November, however, one of Newhook’s rush attacks ended in disaster as he crashed into the post and appeared to sustain a significant injury. He is scheduled to be re-evaluated today, but if it is something that holds him out of the lineup long-term, the Canadiens are going to have a hard time replacing what he’s brought to the team.
Honourable mention: Kaiden Guhle
Matheson is the defenceman racking up the most minutes and points, but a portion of his time and offence comes from the power play (the Canadiens actually did score a few times on the man advantage in November). That’s a situation Martin St-Louis and his staff don’t put Kaiden Guhle in, preferring to save him for the top defensive minutes and penalty kill.
He still averages 21 minutes per night, upping that slightly last month with some injuries on the blue line, starting just 38.7% of his shifts in the offensive zone. He also managed five points in that role, again with no power-play duty. For a sophomore who played just 44 games in his rookie year, it’s an impressive rise to becoming the most trusted defenceman on the team
— Justin Blades
AHL Player of the Month: Brandon Gignac
November was a month of good results and frustrating losses for the Laval Rocket as they ended with three straight losses outside regulation. They lost key players to injuries and had some of their young stars suffering through their own set of growing pains. However, one of the key veterans was there to help keep the team on track, and that was Brandon Gignac.
Gignac isn’t the type of player who hits the highlight reel with regularity, but he’s always involved in plays that lead to the Rocket finding the back of the net. Without several of their top players, the Rocket needed someone to help spur the offence forward on the top line. Gignac slid in between Sean Farrell and Joshua Roy, which happened to coincide with both young players putting together an outstanding stretch of games.
Gignac’s speed allows him to create his own space, backing off opposing defencemen who cannot afford to be caught flat-footed with him on the ice. With that extra space, creative types like Roy and Farrell were able to link up regularly to create their own goals. That doesn’t mean Gignac wasn’t capable of burying his own chances, with his speed allowing him to dart between defenders and catch goaltenders sleeping.
With some bodies set to come back to the Rocket on their latest road trip, Gignac will likely slide down the lineup, but that allows J.-F. Houle to spread the offensive wealth around the lineup a little more. For a guy who plays a key penalty-killing role and can be plugged in on any line, that’s also great news for a team needing to string together wins in the coming weeks to make up some ground in the standings.
— Scott Matla
European Prospect of the Month: Adam Engström
While the offence we were all expecting from Engström has been lacking, the team and he himself have focused on the other end of the ice. It is clear that he is being used in a more defensive role, getting about even defensive zone starts as Rögle wants to use his vision and skating to break open the ice into an attack. He is being used on the penalty kill, thereby enhancing his defensive acumen.
He is playing a more physical game, and is working the boards harder than before. But interestingly enough, he is a leader on the defensive side of the puck as well, correcting older players, pointing out assignments, and so on. While this month hasn’t been a perfect example of Engström’s growth defensively as Rögle has struggled in league play, the club plays better when Engström is playing well.
He had six assists over the eight games, and is eating minutes in the SHL. Right now he struggles with scoring goals even though he gets to the correct positions in the attack, so there should be a ketchup effect about to happen in December.
Honourable mention: Bogdan Konyushkov
Konyushkov challenged for the player of the month award this month too with one goal and six assists in 12 games. However, in a weaker league, playing more games, and being older made me place him second this month too.
There are things to like with Konyushkov: his shot and accuracy, along with his offensive instincts. Can he apply the pressure on the other two defencemen who are front-runners for the award in December?
— Patrik Bexell
North American Prospect of the Month: Jacob Fowler
This month’s winner was particularly difficult to choose — Filip Mešár’s 22 points in 13 OHL games and Lane Hutson earning Defenceman of the Month in the NCAA’s Hockey East conference made November a tight race. However, Jacob Fowler’s outstanding play of late put him a hair ahead in this conversation.
The Habs’ recent 69th overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft has maintained a .939 save percentage with a 1.88 goals-against average through eight games in the past month, posting a 6-1-1 record. While facing a higher volume of shots and tougher opponents, it became clearer that Fowler’s performances were not a mere result of playing behind a strong lineup. He has been playing a bit deeper than he was with Youngstown, using his strong reflexes and technique to stay square to every shot.
The @StopItGoalies Goaltender of the Month is Jacob Fowler @BC_MHockey pic.twitter.com/qwEvXY6xpO
— Hockey East (@hockey_east) November 30, 2023
The competitiveness hasn’t gone anywhere, either. He manages the game on his own at times, slowing down a frantic defensive-zone sequence with a quick smother or ramping it up with a timely crease exit to jumpstart the breakout. Big saves at big moments have helped his team stay in games, and he seems to know when the Eagles need him most.
The upcoming World Juniors will be a great barometer for Fowler’s ability to compete, as he will likely be going toe-to-toe with recent Detroit Red Wings draftee Trey Augustine for the starting position on Team USA’s roster. Including Augustine, five goaltenders were picked ahead of him in the 2023 NHL Draft, and Fowler has a chance to show those teams that they made a mistake. Everything we’ve heard about his character so far indicates he will jump at that opportunity come mid-December.
— Hadi Kalakeche
| NHL Player | AHL Player | EU Prospect | NA Prospect | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November | Alex Newhook | Brandon Gignac | Adam Engström | Jacob Fowler |
| October | Cole Caufield | Joshua Roy | Oliver Kapanen | Cedrick Guindon |
