Prospect Q&A: Alex Newhook

Alex Newhook, the British Columbia Hockey League's MVP from this past season, has played for the Victoria Grizzlies the last two years but is heading off to Boston College in the fall to begin his collegiate career.
In his two seasons with the BCHL Grizzlies, the 18-year-old produced 168 points (60 goals, 108 assists) in 98 career regular-season games and posted 33 points (14 goals, 19 assists) in 27 total postseason contests.

In his first campaign in Victoria in the 2017-18 season, Newhook led all rookies with 66 points. He topped the list of first-year players with 44 assists and came in second in goals after tallying 22. He won the Bruce Allison Memorial Trophy as the league's rookie of the year and was named a BCHL First-Team All-Star. In 12 playoff outings that year, Newhook notched nine points (three goals, six assists).
The 5-foot-10, 192-pound center was the team captain in 2018-19 and led the league in points (102) and assists (64) while ranking third in goals (38). He earned the Vern Dye Memorial Trophy as the league's most valuable player and was named a BCHL First Team All-Star for the second year in a row. He was stellar through the playoffs as well, tallying a league-leading 24 points (11 goals, 13 assists) in 15 postseason games.
The St. John's, Newfoundland, native represented Canada at the 2019 IIHF U18 World Championship in April before the Colorado Avalanche selected him at No. 16 overall in the first round of the 2019 NHL Draft. He became the third Newfoundland-born player in franchise history to be drafted by the team.
Newhook talked with ColoradoAvalanche.com on being drafted by the Avs, his sister and playing at Boston College.
Your friends and teammates won over Twitter at the draft with their support for you. How special was it to have them there?
"It meant so much. You do everything with those guys day in and day out throughout the year. For them to want to be there to support me through it, the big day. For them to put on a bit of a show there, it was a lot of fun. It meant a lot to me, I love those guys."

You and fellow Colorado prospect Drew Helleson are both heading to Boston College in the fall, how exciting is it to have him there with you?
"It's great. I mean to see guys coming through and being in the same setup, it's great for us to have that environment and both go through the Avalanche program together. It's exciting. He's a great guy so being able to do it with him is going to be fun."
You mentioned at the draft that your sister Abby is a better hockey player than you. What was your relationship like growing up together and both playing the sport?
"She's a great player and great person. We have had a very close relationship growing up. To have that hockey side for both of us, it's great to feed off each other and have that relationship. I left when I was 14, I think for me there was a lot going on when I moved away but for her, having me move away at a young age was a bit hard for her. She's away herself now and going through the same thing, it's great to see."
Abby is also committed to Boston College, what does that mean to you that you might both play for the same school one day?
"It's cool that there is a possibility of her being there while I'm there. Who knows what will happen, but it's really cool even for her to be going to the same school that I go to. It's something that is great for our family and something we will definitely cherish for a long time."

How did you start playing hockey?
"I started I think when I was probably 4 years old, pretty young. I just grew up in Newfoundland playing against my buddies from home and played there until I was 14 when I moved away. It just kind of led me from there."
What is it like to be drafted by Avalanche organization and experience Colorado a bit this summer?
"It was my first time in Colorado when I went for development camp. I was really excited just to get there and see the city, the atmosphere and the facilities. It was all very exciting. It seems like a great city with great fans and great support. I'm excited for the future. It's such a great organization with a lot of history. You see it through the support of the fans and you see it in the past with their history. Right now, they're really on the upswing and to be in the program at a time like this--it's exciting and I'm really happy about it."

What was last season like for you with the Grizzlies?
"It was just a great year in Victoria. We had a really great group of guys, a really strong team. It was a lot of fun to play, we had a really offensive style of play. I thought it was a year where we got better, and I got better. It was a great year, no complaints."
What does the rest of your summer and fall look like for you?
"It's been a busy summer for sure. We had our national team junior camp at the end of July, and I'll be home for a bit before I go to Boston College. It will be good to see some family and friends before I leave in August. It's been a busy summer but exciting at the same time."