Player Discussion Alex Newhook (Part 2) : Book an Appointment with New Look Edition

[Goalfield13]

8 points in his last 9 games. No love for Newhook...

 

[DAChampion]

I didn't expect Beck to help Newhook so much.

 

[Goalfield13]

I didn't expect Beck to help Newhook so much.

I think Beck is that kind of C.

 

[The Last Red]

Newhook was starting to play better before Beck’s re-call from Laval. I find most of the complaining about him lazy and based on an older body of work. He’ll never be a star but he can be a solid, contributing, middle six forward for us.

 

[Goalfield13]

Newhook was starting to play better before Beck’s re-call from Laval. I find most of the complaining about him lazy and based on an older body of work. He’ll never be a star but he can be a solid, contributing, middle six forward for us.

Yeah, he will never cost much. For what he is, he is decent. I don't have an issue with him on this team. He's also pretty versatile, being able to play all three forward positions.

 

[Skip Bayless]

Newhook is the swiss knife of this team. He is going to be part of the cup run.

 

[Redux91]

I didn't expect Beck to help Newhook so much.

I did
But i was expecting it next year on the 3rd line lol

If they play their cards right you could maybe have Heineman round out that trio in the not so distant future..... *drool*

 

[Habssince89]

the tip play from Matheson should be a staple for our entire team. We should be embracing this a bit more than just hammering a slapper and trying to tip it

 

[LaP]

He's a good 3rd liner. Need to make room for him next season on the 3rd line. Should not be back in a top 6 role.

 

[Goalfield13]

He's a good 3rd liner. Need to make room for him next season on the 3rd line. Should not be back in a top 6 role.

If we can find a 2C, I think a third line of Newhook-Beck-Heineman is going to be legit for many years to come.

 

[Rapala]

I didn't expect Beck to help Newhook so much.

We are very fortunate to have this raw rookie able to step in and help stabilize a line that was struggling.
It's very important that the line continues to chip in while not getting torched not having a real 2nd line.

 

[Victoire HuGo]

Glad that he's turned it around production wise. Was weird for his production to decline so bad out of nowhere. Curious for him to get reps on the PK and to see if he can at least be close to 50% on the faceoff dot.

 

[kyne]

If we can find a 2C, I think a third line of Newhook-Beck-Heineman is going to be legit for many years to come.

This line is very fast and would definitely give opponents all they could handle. Great potential.

 

[Miller Time]

I think many are still sleeping on Newhook...

He had a rough start to the season, no doubt, but he's been playing very sound hockey for a few months now.

His play on this road trip has been quite good, so much so that they were comfortable rolling him out with Gally & Roy last night as the "2nd line".

He's not good enough to carry a line, that's clear, but he's playing at a high level, with the kind of responsibility & compete level that bodes well for his long term future.

While stylistically different, he's reminding me a lot of Lekhonen... Especially in terms of the loud "fan" criticism of his game. If he were moved to a contending roster tomorrow, he could slot in next to elite players seemlesly and like Lek, "break out" and leave the peanut gallery lamenting how we let such a good player get away.

Fortunately, it seems both the coaching staff and management see what they have in him. I bet the next few years will see him start to put up the points stat watchers are so focused on.

Future is bright

 

[badfish]

I think many are still sleeping on Newhook...

He had a rough start to the season, no doubt, but he's been playing very sound hockey for a few months now.

His play on this road trip has been quite good, so much so that they were comfortable rolling him out with Gally & Roy last night as the "2nd line".

He's not good enough to carry a line, that's clear, but he's playing at a high level, with the kind of responsibility & compete level that bodes well for his long term future.

While stylistically different, he's reminding me a lot of Lekhonen... Especially in terms of the loud "fan" criticism of his game. If he were moved to a contending roster tomorrow, he could slot in next to elite players seemlesly and like Lek, "break out" and leave the peanut gallery lamenting how we let such a good player get away.

Fortunately, it seems both the coaching staff and management see what they have in him. I bet the next few years will see him start to put up the points stat watchers are so focused on.

Future is bright

I agree with this and I think it's been a tough year to evaluate Newhook. His production is not great, borderline unacceptable really, but if you ignore him and watch him he still manages to create a few chances every game. The issue for me is that he's spent most of the season with Dach and Laine - two guys who have had their moments but largely struggled. I'm pretty sure those 3 guys are the bottom three Habs fowards in EV points/60. I think Newhook has played most of his games with at least one of those guys, it would be good to get him with two different guys to see how he produces (i.e. like he did last year with Armia and Roy).

Defensively I think Newhook has improved a lot. Marty has praised his efforts recently in some post-game scrums. Love or hate +/-, but after Newhook had an awful +/- in October it's pretty much stabalized since then, unlike Dach and Laine who have strugged in that facet.

Long term I still see him as a 3C, but I think it's going to be really hard to acquire a 2C this off season, so I think he might start the next season as the 2C. I wonder if a 2nd line of Demidov - Newhook - Heineman would do better than the 2nd line we've seen this season.

I agree he's a bit like Lehkonen, but at least with Lehkonen his defensive game was pretty mature early on in his career. So even when Lehks was getting crucified for not being able to produce offensively, people were still happy with his defensive game. I think Newhook's defensive game is continuing to improve, I'd really like to see him on the PK at some point.

Another guy Newhook reminds me of is Lars Eller. We spent years debating if Lars Eller was a top 6 or bottom 6 player. Eventually when he went to Washington he was put in a 3rd line center role and thrived. I think next year would be my last year waiting to see if Newhook is top-6 material, and then after that I'd be trying to convert him to a 3rd line center.

Long post, I'm rambling, I'm posting on here a lot today, but it's cause I'm avoiding work after being tired from staying up watching the game last night lol.

 

[The Great Weal]

Newhook is the swiss knife of this team. He is going to be part of the cup run.

He's the exact opposite of a swiss knife.

Need him to chip in with secondary offense in the top 6? Doesn't have the IQ or consistency to do it.
Need him to be in a grinding role in the bottom 6? Doesn't have the physicality or defensive game to do it.
Need him to skate around really fast aimlessly while having a big forehead? He's the guy.

He doesn't have the elements for a top 6 or bottom 6 role. A big whoopsie by the pro scouts there.

 

[Trabdy2]

I find Newhook's game is full of "almosts".

He almost scored, but he missed the net. He almost got that pass right, but he played it too far up ice. He almost won that battle on the boards, but he lost body position etc.

Watching him play, it just seems like there should be better outcomes when you see the speed and occasional dynamic skill, but the execution seems to be a bit off regularly.

I don't think he can become a part of a top 6 without significantly improved consistency of execution. He would need to improve some aspects of his defensive game to play a role on a good 3rd line. I'm not writing him off, though. I like the effort I see from him and I can tell he has the passion to play and improve.