In his draft year, Alex Newhook was a highly regarded prospect. He had racked up 103 points in 53 games with the Victoria Grizzlies of the BCHL. That performance was impressive enough for the Colorado Avalanche to choose him 16th overall in the 2019 draft where Cole Caufield was the 15th overall pick. Newhook followed up with 42 points in 34 games with Boston College in the 2019-20 NCAA season.
The 2020-21 season was interrupted at all levels by the Covid pandemic but Newhook still earned a late season cup of coffee with the Avalanche. The following season saw his NHL career begin in earnest and as a rookie, he managed to put 33 points in 71 games. His second season saw a slight regression in points per game but nothing to be concerned about. At the time, Newhook was seeing 3rd line minutes with about 14:00 TOI per game.
Colorado made the decision to move on from Newhook and traded him to the Montreal Canadiens in June 2023 for two draft picks and a minor league defenceman. He didn’t seem like a fit for them. The draft choices turned into Mikhail Gulyayev and Ethan Gauthier, neither of whom look like blue-chip prospects. From that point of view, Kent Hughes did not give up a lot.
The Montreal general manager obviously thought Newhook would blossom given a bigger role with the Canadiens than he had with the Avalanche. And as his former agent, Hughes was as familiar with Newhook the person as he was with Newhook the player.
The Avalanche were already a solid team from top to bottom and but the stockpile of draft picks was depleted. The Canadiens were looking for more immediate help and Newhook seemed to fit the bill. A trade that initially looked like a win-win has fallen flat.
In fairness to Colorado, they traded the #37 overall pick to Tampa, who used that pick on Gauthier, for Ross Colton who has worked out well for the Avalanche.
Meanwhile back in Montreal, Newhook’s play seems to have steadily regressed. His 41.6% success rate in the face0ff circle makes him less than an ideal candidate at center. On the wing, Juraj Slafkovsky and Cole Caufield are ahead of him on the depth charts and Emil Heineman should be as well. The return of Patrik Laine would round out the top six when he returns, leaving no room for Newhook.
He also lacks the sought after attributes of size and checking ability that teams want in their bottom six. Even more alarming is Newhook’s production. With 30% of the season now in the books, he hasn’t picked up a single assist and his ice time includes over 52 minutes on the power play.
In the short term, Newhook should be playing on the bottom six. It could give him an opportunity to find his game while rewarding more deserving players with an opportunity on the top six. The question is where on the bottom six should he land? Neither Brendan Gallagher nor Josh Anderson deserve a demotion from the third line, so the obvious spot is the fourth line.
Joining Newhook on the fourth line would be either Jake Evans or Christian Dvorak and probably Joel Armia with Michael Pezzetta waiting in the wings. It should not be a horrible combination.
This could be the last kick at the can for Newhook; the next few weeks could tell the tale. Ivan Demidov will be arriving from Russia next season and Oliver Kapanen will be coming over from Sweden while Joshua Roy and Owen Beck will be looking to graduate from Laval. All of these players will be competing for jobs as will any players acquired via trade or free agency in the coming months.
Keep an eye on how Marty St Louis uses Alex Newhook in the Canadiens’ upcoming games. It could give us a hint of what his future holds.
