Rookie watch: Howden gets Rangers up to speed

Brett Howden knows now is the time to make an impact as an NHL rookie with the New York Rangers.

Coach David Quinn has stressed a desire for the Rangers to be a faster and a more responsible team in his first season. Howden (6-foot-3, 195 pounds) has fit right in.
He ranks fifth on the Rangers in scoring with 13 points (four goals, nine assists) and is third among NHL rookies in face-off winning percentage (51.1) with at least 100 face-offs taken. He leads Rangers rookies in average ice time (15:54).
"I didn't know what to expect coming into the season, but I never expected to be (with the Rangers)," Howden said. "Even though I probably wasn't penciled into the lineup entering training camp, I did the best I could, stayed in the moment and worried about the task at hand."
Howden, who was No. 22 in NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters eligible for the 2016 NHL Draft, was chosen No. 27 by the Tampa Bay Lightning. He was traded to the Rangers by the Lightning along with Vladislav Namestnikov, Libor Hajek, and two draft picks for Ryan McDonagh and J.T. Miller on Feb. 26.
"The whole team has taken me under its wing," Howden said. "There are things I'm learning on the ice from specific guys like Kevin Hayes and Mika Zibanejad, who are two of the top centers in the League. They're showing me tricks on face-offs, playing with the puck and being confident enough to hold onto it and make plays.
"Being able to control the puck comes with confidence and being confident comes from hard work."

Howden, 20, said he learned a lot about becoming a two-way player under the tutelage of coach Tim Hunter during his four seasons in Moose Jaw of the Western Hockey League. He had 267 points (109 goals, 158 assists) in 248 WHL regular-season games and 33 points (13 goals, 20 assists) in 31 playoff games.
Howden impressed at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship, scoring seven points (three goals, four assists) in seven games despite playing a defensive role for gold medal-winning Canada. Hunter was an assistant coach for Canada.
"It took a while for the Hockey Canada people to really believe in Brett 100 percent; they heard it from me what kind of player he could be and as the tournament went on, he started to grow on them," Hunter, a former NHL forward, said. "I've appealed to Brett all along about playing a grittier, faster game and he's really got more bite in his compete and battle level and he showed it at world juniors."
Howden said, "Coach Hunter helped round my game. He had me out there against the other team's top lines. I felt like I grew up a lot in Moose Jaw over my four years and by the time I left there, felt I grew up a lot and matured on the ice."
The versatile Howden is exhibiting a similar effort with the Rangers. He ranks seventh on the team in hits (22), sixth in takeaways (nine) and fourth in blocked shots (20).
"He's been just about as good a player as they've had, game in and game out," said MSG Network NHL analyst Joe Micheletti. "He makes mistakes because he's young, but his ability to recover and not lose confidence has given David Quinn an opportunity to use him in every situation. He gets in on the power play, kills penalties because he reads things well. When he gets the puck back, he makes plays."

Howden has two power-play assists this season and scored his first game-winning goal 11:19 into the third period of a 2-1 win against the Vancouver Canucks on Nov. 12.
"He's a guy who plays all three zones and plays fast," Quinn said. "There's a difference between skating fast and playing fast and he's got a quick mind, is an honest player, and gets rewarded offensively because he has enough skill to complement his honesty."
Howden, who has usually played center on the third line, credits his linemates for allowing him to capitalize on opportunities.
"The biggest thing for me is being able to hold on to the puck and make plays and be confident in myself that I can make that next play instead of just getting it and throwing it away right away," Howden said. "We don't look at this as a rebuild year; we believe we have a good team now. We want to be a contending team."