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Former Victoria hockey star Alex Newhook cracks Team Canada

After a month in Red Deer, Newhook ready for World Juniors
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Former Victoria Grizzlies captain Alex Newhook during Team Canada selection camp in Red Deer. Newhook will play forward for Team Canada at the World Junior Championships. (Hockey Canada/Rob Wallator)

In what has essentially been a month-long quarantine in Red Deer, Alta., former Victoria Grizzlies star Alex Newhook has had to find many ways to kill time.

And it doesnB次元官网网址檛 include the go-to teenage time burner of video games.

B次元官网网址淣ot for me, not a big video games guy. I hear the other guys shouting and screaming [from their rooms],B次元官网网址 said the first-round draft pick of the Colorado Avalanche on Friday.

This past month has been the latest test for Newhook, whose patience and hard work paid off on Friday as the 19-year-old was selected to Team CanadaB次元官网网址檚 2021 World Junior Championships team that will play in Edmonton. The team remains in Red Deer but will head to Edmonton soon for exhibition games and Christmas Day until Jan. 5.

Newhook played for the Grizzlies from 2017 to 2019. In 2017-18 he won BCHL rookie of the year. In 2018-19 he served as the Grizzlies captain and led the BCHL in scoring with 28 goals and 102 points in 53 games. Colorado then picked him 16th overall in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.

West ShoreB次元官网网址檚 Dylan Garand, who plays goalie for the Kamloops Blazers, also made Team Canada.

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The World Juniors tournament itself is on thin ice as Hockey Canada had two players test positive and sent five home as B次元官网网址渦nfitB次元官网网址 to play. The Swedish camp sent away four players for testing positive for COVID-19, the U.S.A. team three players and Germany two players. Even the International Ice Hockey Federation president Rene Fasel tested positive this week.

B次元官网网址淚n Red Deer the bubble is confined and weB次元官网网址檙e not taking any chances with the scare we had. We travel to Edmonton on Sunday, then we isolate for five days again. Then the bubble is similar to what the NHL did for the playoffs,B次元官网网址 Newhook said.

With everyone under mandatory two-week quarantine and further isolation in Edmonton, tournament organizers believe the event will go on.

It makes for a very happy Newhook who was cut from training camp ahead of last yearB次元官网网址檚 tournament, despite scoring the only goal in an exhibition game against U-Sports all-star players.

B次元官网网址淭he feeling is crazy. ItB次元官网网址檚 a lot of emotions going through the head and a lot of excitement. ItB次元官网网址檚 been a long year, IB次元官网网址檓 ready to go and ready to defend the gold medal,B次元官网网址 Newhook said.

The bitterness of being cut from last yearB次元官网网址檚 team B次元官网网址 and then watching that team win gold B次元官网网址 was only fuel for Newhook. He used it as further motivation and turned in a monster rookie season as an 18-year-old with Boston College in the NCAA. He ended the year as Boston CollegeB次元官网网址檚 top scorer with 19 goals and 23 assists for 42 points in 34 games.

B次元官网网址淟ast year was a learning experience and I was definitely disappointed. Looking back, it helped me find a new gear with Boston College,B次元官网网址 he said.

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Newhook has represented Canada regionally and nationally for most of his teenage life, having played at the U17 national championships and at the U18 and World Junior A championships.

He left Boston and arrived in Red Deer about a month ago and went straight into isolation and quarantine. Just when they thought theyB次元官网网址檇 get some freedom everything was shut down again as Team Canada invites tested positive.

B次元官网网址淚t was tough. IB次元官网网址檝e done some Zoom workouts. The team set up bikes in the room, and we have social hours and team meetings that keep us busy,B次元官网网址 Newhook said.

As for food, itB次元官网网址檚 all hotel room service. Three meals a day and a snack.

On the ice, Newhook has been taking line rushes with Dylan Holloway (an Edmonton Oilers first-round pick) of University of Wisconsin, who is the only other NCAA player to make the cut, and Jakob Pelletier (a Calgary Flames first-round pick) of Val-dB次元官网网址橭r in the Quebec major-junior league.

B次元官网网址淚 know most of the guys from over the years, having been around the Hockey Canada programs of excellence,B次元官网网址 Newhook said.

Canada opens the 2021 World Junior Championship on Dec. 26 against Germany at 3 p.m. PST. All games are broadcast on TSN.

reporter@oakbaynews.com


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