Alex Newhook

Alex Newhook (born January 28, 2001) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the first round, 16th overall, by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft and won the Stanley Cup with the Avalanche in 2022, becoming the third player from Newfoundland and Labrador to do so, following Daniel Cleary (2008) and Michael Ryder (2011).

Amateur
Newhook joined the Victoria Grizzlies of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) for the 2017–18 season. He finished second in team scoring with 66 points in 45 games. Newhook also recorded nine points in 12 postseason games.

During the 2018–19 season, Newhook signed his Letter of Intent to join Boston College of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for the 2019–20 season. He led the league in scoring, recording 38 goals and 64 assists for 102 points in 53 games. Newhook won the Vern Dye Memorial Award as the league's most valuable player. He was also named the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) most valuable player. Following the season, Newhook was selected in the first round, 16th overall, by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft.

Newhook had an impressive freshman campaign with the Boston College Eagles, posting 19 goals and 23 assists for 42 points in 34 games. He led all Hockey East freshmen in points and goals, led all NCAA freshman in goals and tied for 7th in scoring among all NCAA skaters. He was named the Tim Taylor Award recipient, the first in Boston College history, as well as the Hockey East Rookie of the Year. He was also named a Hockey East Second Team All-Star and to the All-Rookie Team.

Newhook missed the start of his sophomore season at Boston College due to his participation in the 2021 World Juniors held in Edmonton, Alberta. Team Canada required their players to quarantine for a full two months ahead of the competition as they held training camp in Red Deer, Alberta. After returning to campus following a silver medal result with Team Canada, Newhook was injured in his season debut. His injury combined with early quarantine protocols resulted in Newhook appearing in only 12 games in total for the season, posting 7 goals and 16 points for the Eagles.

Colorado Avalanche (2021–23)
On March 31, 2021, Newhook ended his collegiate career by agreeing to a three-year, entry-level contract with the Colorado Avalanche. He was assigned by the Avalanche to begin his professional career with American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Colorado Eagles. After producing at the AHL level, collecting 5 goals and 9 points through 8 games, Newhook was called up to the Avalanche's taxi squad on May 2, 2021. He made his NHL debut on May 5, 2021, in a Colorado Avalanche 3–2 loss to the San Jose Sharks. Newhook appeared in six games with the Avalanche during the 2020–21 season. Continuing into the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs, he scored his first NHL goal on May 21, 2021, in the third game of the Avalanche's first-round series against the St. Louis Blues. He ultimately appeared in eight playoff games, before the team was ousted in the second round by the Vegas Golden Knights.

Newhook made the Avalanche's opening night roster for the 2021–22 season, but coach Jared Bednar sent him back to the Eagles after the first game, seeking "more confidence with the puck." He played ten games in the AHL and eventually returned to the Avalanche, playing 71 regular season games with 13 goals and 20 assists. Bednar did not initially make use of Newhook in the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs, being out of the lineup for the entire first round against the Nashville Predators and all but two of six games against the Blues in the second round. However, he then played through the entirety of the Western Conference Final series against the Edmonton Oilers and the eventual victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2022 Stanley Cup Finals, finishing with 4 assists in 12 games.

The 2022–23 season was poised at the outset to be a significant opportunity for Newhook, as the departure of longtime second line centreman Nazem Kadri left a positional vacancy that the team would give him the chance to fill. Newhook later said that Kadri had encouraged him of his ability to handle this task. He soon experienced difficulties in this endeavour, not aided by an array of injuries to other Avalanche players, and was soon supplanted by J.T. Compher. As well, coach Bednar frequently preferred to play him as winger. On December 5, he played his 100th NHL game, a 5–3 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers, scoring a goal that night. He finished the regular season with 14 goals and 16 assists in 82 games. The Avalanche were unexpectedly upset in the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs by the Seattle Kraken, with Newhook registering only one assist in seven games and seeing his ice-time decline. By season's end, it was widely assessed that he had not been able to take the next step the team had been hoping he would, raising questions as to his future with the team. Newhook himself would subsequently say "there were times that I maybe could have got a bit more opportunity and definitely could have done better with the opportunity I was given at times. For whatever reason, I didn't have as good a year as I wanted to."

Montreal Canadiens (2023–present)
As an impending free agent following the conclusion of his entry-level contract with the Avalanche, Newhook was traded to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for both a first and second round pick in 2023 and prospect Gianni Fairbrother on June 27, 2023. The trade reunited him with his former agent, Kent Hughes, with the foregoing serving as the Canadiens' general manager. On July 11, 2023, Newhook was re-signed by the Canadiens to a four-year, $11.6 million contract extension.

Newhook played his first game with the Canadiens on October 11, 2023, scoring two goals in the team's season opener. He was placed on the team's second line with Kirby Dach and Juraj Slafkovský, a pairing that received strong initial assessments. However, centreman Dach sustained a long-term injury in the team's second game of the season. Coach Martin St. Louis announced that Newhook would be shifted back to the centre position to replace him. He struggled at the centre position, going back to the wing following Christian Dvorak's return to the lineup in early November. Enjoying more success in that role, he had 7 goals and 6 assists, fourth on the team in points, before sustaining a high ankle sprain in a November 30 game against the Florida Panthers. It was announced he would miss 10 to 12 weeks of the season.

International play
Newhook was selected to participate for Canada at the 2021 World Junior Championships in Edmonton, Alberta. He recorded 3 goals and 6 points at the tournament, helping Canada capture the silver medal, falling in the gold medal game to rival United States and fellow Boston College linemate Matthew Boldy and teammate Spencer Knight.

Personal life
Newhook was born to parents Paula and Shawn in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador and began skating at the age of 4. As a child, he idolized fellow Newfoundlander and Stanley Cup champion Daniel Cleary, describing the foregoing as "a guy that I...dreamt of being like him when I grew up."

Newhook's younger sister Abby is also a hockey player. In a questionnaire for the NHL, he responded to the prompt "not a lot of people know that I..." with: "have a sister who is better than me at hockey." Abby Newhook played for the preparatory school Tabor Academy's team and the Bay State Breakers, before, like her brother, playing for Boston College.