The New and Improved Alex Newhook

When Habs head coach Martin St. Louis put Newhook on the penalty kill to start training camp, nobody could have predicted just how good this role would be for the Newfoundlander’s all-around game. During his first two seasons with the Habs, Newhook was given time to play on the second power play unit, but it didn’t bring him the confidence that the extra ice time he had gained since being assigned a role on the penalty kill had.

Newhook started the season with no power play time at all and instead was assigned to play on the penalty kill with his linemate, Oliver Kapanen. All it took was their first penalty kill shift to create offense. Newhook forced Maple Leafs forward William Nylander to make a bad pass that Kapanen intercepted and went in to score his first NHL goal, while being shorthanded. As a result, this led to them having more confidence to attempt more offensive plays while being down a man. Newhook may not have had a point on Kapanen’s goal but through good coverage, he helped make it happen.

For Kapanen, he’s a rookie who hasn’t had many opportunities to play in the NHL before this season; therefore, it’s harder to judge just how much more confidence he’s getting from this extra task he’s been given, or whether it is just about player progression from what he was last season. 

However, when it comes to Newhook, it is very evident that he has been playing his best hockey since arriving in Montreal during the summer of 2023. Not only has Newhook demonstrated good defensive awareness to complement his blazing speed, but he is also playing smarter hockey all around the ice. This new version of Newhook shows that he really could be a good fit in the Habs’ middle-six as a complementary player for long-term future. 

In reality, both he and Kapanen don’t have the skill level to play with someone like Ivan Demidov’s level, but at even strength, it has just worked well as the 3 players have just clicked by playing a good 2-way game. At the end of the day, the Habs will eventually have to get better offensive pieces to surround Demidov, but for the time being, Newhook and Kapanen are working well with him. In an ideal world, Newhook would be used as a 3rd line scoring role, but when playing with Demidov, it is considered the 2nd line on paper.

This line may slow down in the near future, as on paper, it shouldn’t be the best fit offensively, but considering the boost that being given defensive responsibilities has done for Newhook’s game, as well as the emergence of both Demidov and Kapanen, it is essentially running on adrenaline. Therefore, for the time being, it is really good to keep together as long as everyone on that line is at the top of their game. 

While Newhook has the fastest speed bursts on his line, both Demidov and Kapanen bring a lot of speed to the line, making it harder for slower lineups to match up against. It has happened on numerous occasions that the trio has found themselves with a great two-on-one chance to score. 

From confidence in his game to just being given a more suitable role for him, Newhook has managed to play the best hockey of his NHL career while being paired with rookies Ivan Demidov and Oliver Kapanen. The obvious answer could be that Demidov makes everyone around him better, but Newhook is managing to produce these points often without Demidov being involved.

The question remains: What is it that is making Newhook play the best hockey of his career?