(Vancouver) “Take the Pacific, I keep the Atlantic,” sang Charlebois. Alex Newhook wants both.
The Canadiens’ number 15 forward grew up in St. John’s, on the other side of the country. At 16, he exiled himself to the other side, to Victoria, for two seasons to play in the BCHL.
“The guys were just asking me that question. By plane, the shortest route took 10 hours, 10 and a half hours, Newhook recalled in an interview with The Press. My house in St. John’s is five minutes from mile zero of the Trans-Canada Highway. And in Victoria, I lived 10 minutes from mile 0. So I was 15 minutes from being coast to coast, literally. It’s crazy ! I took photos at both locations. »
Kaiden Guhle’s performance in front of his team on Thursday in Edmonton caused a lot of talk. But when, like Newhook, you come from a corner of the country as remote as Newfoundland, there aren’t really any of these games at home. Only opportunities here and there to reconnect with old acquaintances.
In his case, these places are Toronto, where he went into exile at 14; Boston, where he played his college hockey; Colorado, where he was drafted and took his first steps in the pros. And Vancouver, where he will play Thursday against the Canucks, three hours by car and ferry from where he finished his teenage years.
“My aunt, my father’s sister, lives in Victoria. So I have family and friends who are going to take the ferry [jeudi] to come see me,” he explained, sitting at his locker after practice on Wednesday.
To achieve his dream of playing in the NHL, Newhook knew he would be pushed into a nomadic lifestyle. Such is life when you come from an island of 500,000 inhabitants spread over an area twice the size of Great Britain.
When I was younger, I played mostly around St. John’s. But once in AAA, we traveled more, we went to the west coast, to the center of the island, four-hour trips, sometimes eight hours, just for a tournament. It was different from Ontario! I miss that time. But I eventually had to prove myself to the other good players in Canada. In Newfoundland, there isn’t that much depth.
Alex Newhook
Although he has had to make more sacrifices than players who come from major centers, Newhook remains proud of his origins. “Not many NHL guys come from there. I am very proud of it and I want to be a good ambassador for my province. When you come from there, you want to show that no matter where you come from, you can make it to the NHL. It always motivated me. »
An increased role
The result of this long journey is a 23-year-old player, with 3 years of contract remaining, who occupies an increasingly important role in Montreal.
Part of it is circumstances. Centers Kirby Dach and Christian Dvorak will have missed almost the entire season, and Sean Monahan has been traded. But Kent Hughes’ bet was to take his former client out of the Avalanche, a mature team that was not in development mode, and bring it to Montreal, under the good care of Martin St-Louis, who wants to make development of its trademark.
“I like the way he coach. It’s very clear that he has a hockey head, says Newhook, about his coach currently away from the team. He is very involved. The individual conversations we have are very positive. I learned a lot from him in this short period. »
Before his injury in late November, he was playing an average of 16 minutes per game, a figure that has increased to 17 minutes since his return, due to the aforementioned circumstances. Quite the opposite of the nine minutes per game he was given during the last series with the Avalanche.
Was he starting to feel dark?
I wouldn’t say that, but it was frustrating. I’m competitive, I was trying to get playing time and when you don’t have the answers you’re looking for, it’s difficult. I was wondering how to play more and it wasn’t getting any better. But we had a good team, so you had to put your ego at the door and take your place to be on a winning team.
Alex Newhook
“Here, I feel like I have more of an impact. It’s a lot thanks to playing time, but I’m playing better, I’ve taken a step in the right direction and I feel like I can take another step. But it’s good to feel like I can make the difference in every game, whether defensively or offensively. »
He has held this role since his return as part of a trio with Joel Armia and Joshua Roy. An improbable assembly of players if we look back to last October, since Armia and Roy started the season in Laval, in very different circumstances. Newhook experienced his own adversity while being away from the game for over two months.
Despite the presence of a rookie in Roy, and a player who must make up for lost time in Newhook, the unit has a neutral record so far: 8 goals scored, 8 goals allowed.
“None of us doubt our abilities. We know what kind of players we can be and we have shown it in recent weeks. We can all help each other and we are good at making others look good. »
The injury to Roy (see the capsule) could mean the end of this association for this season. But what will remain is that Newhook looks more and more like a center capable of playing in the NHL, which will give the Habs more flexibility when the time comes to put together next season’s roster.
Roy’s sacrifice
Joshua Roy was injured Tuesday in Edmonton and is “headed for Montreal,” the Habs announced Wednesday afternoon. He will undergo “a thorough evaluation”, according to the team and will be absent for an “indeterminate” period. No details were given about his injury. In the third period, he blocked a shot from defender Evan Bouchard with his right hand. Roy still made two other appearances after this sequence. Wednesday morning, TVA Sports colleague Anthony Martineau met Roy at the Vancouver airport, and Roy was wearing a brace on his right hand. Newhook had kind words for his young linemate. “It’s a close match. We place the youngster in a situation where he must be reliable defensively. For him to make that kind of play says a lot about his character, about what he’s willing to do to help us win. It’s sad to see him get hurt. Let’s hope it’s not too serious. »