Newhook Excited For New Role

When he was asked about taking on the role and what it means to him, he spoke about the sacrifices it takes to become a penalty killer, and the thought excites him. Newhook also mentioned that the role of being a penalty killer usually goes to players who are older and have paid their dues in the league. With that being said, he feels that entering his 6th season in the NHL is a sign that he officially has paid his dues to be given this responsibility to kill penalties. 

This new role allows Newhook to re-find a spot on the Habs’ special teams group in some way, after losing his regular spot on the power-play with the acquisition of Zachary Bolduc and Ivan Demidov now graduating into a full-time NHLer. From Newhook’s reaction towards being on the penalty kill, it seems like losing his powerplay role doesn’t bother him much. 

The reason for that may be that the Habs as a whole just want to win and don’t seem to care for individual numbers. This is something that Kent Hughes mentioned about the Habs players in an interview with Eric Engels a few weeks ago, that they have now grown to want to achieve team success rather than individual success, as the main core of players have switched from young players fighting to prove themselves in the league to young veterans who just want to win. 

For Newhook, who has already won a Stanley Cup during his first full NHL season with the Colorado Avalanche, he wants to win again. Winning a Stanley Cup already is something that Newhook has that nobody else on the current roster has, which is a nice experience that he can bring to this team. He learned what it took to win by being around guys like Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog, who were the star veterans in Colorado during their 2022 Stanley Cup victory. He now knows what it takes to win and will use that when it applies to his new role. 

The main reason he is likely being given this spot with the departure of Joel Armia and Christian Dvorak over other players on the team is that Josh Anderson has proved that having blazing speed can help create a good penalty killer. Of course, you also need to be able to defend in your own zone, but that’s something guys like Anderson and Newhook have been taught how to do their entire life in hockey.

In today’s game, you cannot make the NHL without playing a solid 2-way game, unless you are absolutely elite in the offensive zone. Neither Newhook nor Anderson has those elite offensive traits, so they were both forced to bring some defensive awareness to their game to make it work. Honestly, most speedy wingers tend to be great penalty killers, making it seem like this is a recipe for Newhook to succeed in this role. 

The other forward spot on the penalty kill will likely go back to the captain, Nick Suzuki, who was only used sparingly on penalty kill during the 2024-25 campaign. If Newhook and Suzuki play on the PK together, there is a good chance that this could lead to some shorthanded goals, with Suzuki’s high-end IQ and Newhook’s blazing speed that can lead to breakaways. Only time will tell how the penalty kill will look in terms of units on opening night, but one thing is for sure that Newhook will be given a nice, long look at being given a role for the long term. 

What are your thoughts on Alex Newhook getting a chance to be a penalty killer? How do you see him doing in that new role?