Howden making a name for himself Oakbank product coming into his own under bright lights of playoffs By: Jeff Hamilton Posted: 7:00 PM CDT Monday, Apr. 24, 2023 Last Modified: 10:02 PM CDT Monday, Apr. 24, 2023 Updates

There’s no better time or place to make a name for yourself in hockey than during the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs.

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There’s no better time or place to make a name for yourself in hockey than during the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs.

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This article was published 24/04/2023 (868 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There’s no better time or place to make a name for yourself in hockey than during the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs.

No one probably knows that better than Brett Howden, who has been given a glorious opportunity with the Vegas Golden Knights to shine on the game’s biggest stage. The pride of Oakbank has been promoted to a line alongside Chandler Stephenson and fellow Manitoban, Mark Stone, who grew up in Winnipeg and is now the captain of the Golden Knights.

“This season has been pretty eventful, just with the long injury I dealt with at the start of the year. It was pretty tough to be out for that long when you’re trying to get into a groove at the start of the year,” Howden told the Free Press following Monday’s morning skate, ahead of Game 4 in the first-round series against the Winnipeg Jets. “But I feel like since I’ve gotten back, I’ve slowly started to build my game and I just want to keep building it keep and playing hard and I’ve kind of found my way here. I feel confident in how I’m playing right now.”

Howden, who is in his second year in Vegas after being acquired in a trade with the New York Rangers, where he spent parts of four seasons, made the roster out of training camp but then suffered a foot injury blocking a shot and was forced to miss the next two months. He was injured in a 4-1 win over the Ottawa Senators on Nov. 23 and returned for a 3-2 overtime loss against the New Jersey Devils Jan. 24 — a stretch that saw the 25-year-old miss 27 games.

Since then, Howden, a first-round draft pick (27th overall) of the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2016, played in all but one of the remaining 34 games to close out the regular season. Heading into Game 4 Monday night, he had one assist and was a plus-4 in three playoff games, including a series-high 19:33 in ice time in Game 3.

Howden opened the scoring for the Golden Knights Monday, notching what was the first playoff goal of his career. He had his first shot blocked by Jets defenceman Neal Pionk, but then jumped on the rebound to beat Connor Hellebuyck glove-side to even the game 1-1 midway through the first period. Howden would seal the 4-2 win for the Golden Knights with his second goal of the game, depositing the puck into an empty net with 17 seconds remaining.

“He always goes to the net, drives to the net. He’s been good as the first guy in on the forecheck, trying to finish his check and create some turnovers,” Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy said. “He’s a nice player for us. He’s trying to find his way and I think this year he’s really built a role for himself here in Vegas. It started last year, and we like what he brings. He got injured earlier in the year, otherwise I think his numbers would have been pretty good for us, but he missed two months.”

Howden hasn’t lit up the scoresheet by any means, registering six goals and seven assists for 13 points in 54 games, but does bring a quiet confidence to his play. Cassidy noted he put Howden with Stephenson and Stone in training camp and the chemistry was clear back then.

Vegas Golden Knights' Brett Howden (21) scores on Winnipeg Jets' goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (37) during first period game 4 NHL Stanley Cup first round hockey playoff action in Winnipeg on Monday April 24, 2023. (Fred Greenslade / The Canadian Press)

It wasn’t until partway through Game 2 — after Vegas dropped Game 1, 5-1, and then were trailing in the next game — that Cassidy opted to reunite the trio. As for being a hard forechecker, that was on full display in Game 3, as Howden was one of the first players to gain Winnipeg’s end before Ivan Barbashev pressured Jets defenceman Dylan Samberg into a costly turnover that immediately led to the game-winning goal in double overtime.

“He’s an energy guy but also has the skills to make plays and score. He’s also a guy that doesn’t change his game, no matter who he’s with he’s always the same,” Stephenson told the Free Press. “To have him there and to see his confidence building, you can just see that he feels more comfortable. He’s rolling with it right now.”

Howden said it’s been extra special to play against his hometown team, including experiencing the craziness of the Winnipeg whiteout. It wasn’t his first time seeing the sea of white, however, as he was in the stands to watch the Jets battle the Golden Knights during the Western Conference finals in 2018.

He had yet to play an NHL game by that point, his NHL career beginning in the fall with the Rangers. Howden said it’s wild to think that five years later he’d be back playing with Vegas and trying desperately to send the Jets faithful home disappointed.

Chandler Stephenson (right) celebrates his goal with teammate Brett Howden against the Jets during the first period Saturday. (John Woods / Canadian Press files)

Howden has a small section of supporters in the stands, including his brother, Quinton, a former NHLer, who had a brief stint with the Jets, in attendance. Quinton was playing overseas in France and arrived home just in time for Game 3 in Winnipeg.

“It’s really special for me to be on the other side of it and to be able to witness it while on the ice,” Brett Howden said. “It’s incredible. The atmosphere is unbelievable. The Winnipeg fans are so loyal and so faithful to their team.”

Now wearing a smile, he added: “As much fun as it is for the Jets to play in front of them, it’s a lot of fun for us, too. It makes the game way more intense and really cool to be a part of.”

Jeff.Hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jeffkhamilton

Jeff Hamilton
Multimedia producer

Jeff Hamilton is a sports and investigative reporter. Jeff joined the Free Press newsroom in April 2015, and has been covering the local sports scene since graduating from Carleton University’s journalism program in 2012. Read more about Jeff.

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