From Samuel Girard to Bowen Byram, via Mikko Rantanen, the Colorado Avalanche has demonstrated over the years an ability to develop young talent. However, it worked less with Alex Newhook, to the point where Joe Sakic resolved to trade him to the Canadian.
Was Newhook “lost” in the Avalanche system or is it rather his potential that is not what was anticipated when he was drafted at 16e rank in 2019? This is what we will discover in the coming years in the entourage of the Canadian.
He will have time to prove himself, since on Tuesday, the Habs announced that they had concluded a 4-year agreement, good for 11.6 million dollars (annual average of 2.9 million) with the Newfoundland forward .
“I am happy with the contract, the duration, said Newhook in his first – virtual – meeting with the Montreal media. It’s good to come to a team that wants you for at least four years. Money gives security, I have time before negotiating my next deal and I can become comfortable in the city. »
Newhook is the latest project from Kent Hughes and Martin St-Louis, in their hockey version of Renovation Angels.
They started with Justin Barron, a project that would last a few more years. It started off on the right foot with Kirby Dach, while the Denis Gurianov shipyard underwent the same treatment as the Voyageur island; his hiring by the Nashville Predators on Tuesday confirms that the case is dropped.
All have in common with Newhook to be former first-round picks and therefore enjoy interesting potential. Newhook brought out his own in 2021-22, his first full NHL season. With 33 points, in 71 games, he ranked 12e among the rookies on the circuit, in what was a banner year for rookie players.
Except he plateaued last season, amassing 30 points in 82 games.
Its usage time is noted in the table above. Caught with a panoply of injuries at the start of the season, the Avalanche then acquired forwards in the second half of the campaign, notably Matthew Nieto and Lars Eller. Has Newhook played less due to the new depth of the squad or underperforming?
“It’s hard to say,” replied the young man. I wanted to contribute to playoff success and it’s hard to do that when you play six or seven minutes in the most important games. I am a competitor, I want to play in these situations. It was frustrating. It was partly because of my game, but we also added guys who took me down the pecking order.
“It may have taken my minutes down, but I could have done more with my minutes. I could have had better chances, but I could have done more with the ones I was given. »
Hope in St-Louis
Newhook has not yet passed through Montreal since the Canadian acquired it on June 27. The day after the trade, he left Newfoundland for Boston, where he played and studied for two years and where he trains part of the summer. He also had to return to Denver to collect personal effects. He plans to arrive in town “at the end of August”.
However, he already has a good network of contacts in the organization, starting with Hughes, who once ran the Quartexx agency, the one that represents the player.
Besides, he knew Justin Barron with the Avalanche and at Hockey Canada. Kirby Dach and Kaiden Guhle are also former national team mates. This is without forgetting Cole Caufield, drafted one rank ahead of him in 2019. “I know him through mutual friends and we have faced each other a few times”, he specifies.
What all these beautiful people told him? Newhook does not testify under oath by videoconference, but his response is interesting nonetheless.
“They only spoke well of Martin [St-Louis]. Many of them, the offensive guys, at least, were happy to say that they can play in the offensive zone, that they are encouraged to make plays, to be creative. It fits well with my style and it’s good to have that confidence. Martin brings this and he’s on dry land (hands on). He can analyze the game of the players and knows where we stand, since he himself has experienced everything. »
It’s good to hear a coach say they want you to be true to your style, not to be afraid of making mistakes. It’s different to be with a team that’s fighting for the top spot like in Colorado. This trust is big.
Alex Newhook
That said, Newhook wasn’t in bad hands in Colorado. To the Girard, Byram and Rantanen mentioned at the start of the text, we could add Andre Burakovsky and Valeri Nichushkin, who have become much more fulfilled offensively under Jared Bednar. The latter, failing to have won the Jack-Adams trophy, is the only head coach in history to have won the Stanley (NHL), Calder (AHL) and Kelly (ECHL) cups. He obviously knows what he’s doing.
Except that these players, with the exception of Byram, arrived at a time when the Avalanche were not under pressure to lift the big trophy. This is Newhook’s chance: to relaunch his career in a context where an error will not risk costing an elimination. This grace period will not be eternal, however, because we guess that the CH plan is not to languish in the cellar for another three years.
In short
A thrilling comparison
In a draft press briefing, Kent Hughes had submitted the example of Chandler Stephenson to illustrate what the Habs will aim for with Alex Newhook. Stephenson was indeed forced into a limited role with the Washington Capitals, playing a dozen minutes per game. Traded to Vegas at age 25, he immediately got a bigger role, and in the past two seasons he’s been used more than 19 minutes per game and hit 60 points each time. “I hadn’t heard his remark, but it makes sense,” says Newhook. Kent wants me on the team, he sees that maybe I was underused and didn’t get the chances I could have. Stephenson arrived and established himself in a new group. It’s exciting to hear that. I have a lot more to offer than what I have shown in recent years. »
Which position ?
After Kirby Dach, Jonathan Drouin, Alex Galchenyuk and Lars Eller, Newhook will be the new main character of “Center or winger? “, a successful piece in the entourage of the Canadian for years. He was drafted as a center and that’s where he says he played the most. “But I can play in both positions,” he says. Like Dach, however, he will have to work on his face-offs if he wants to increase his efficiency. Last season, he only won 41.4%. He moved from one position to another during the season, but in mid-December, Jared Bednar said he found him “better on the wing, because he skates better”. St. Louis will have no shortage of options at center behind Nick Suzuki, with Newhook, Dach, Sean Monahan, Jake Evans and Christian Dvorak all candidates to drive units.