Alex Newhook
Team: Victoria Grizzlies (BCHL)
DOB: 1/28/2001
Position: Center/Left Wing
Height: 5'11
Weight: 183 lbs
Shoots: Left
Metrics from Prospect-Stats: None
Other Kings drafted by the Victoria Grizzlies (BCHL):
Alec Dillon (2014)
Joel Lowry (2011)
Articles:
https://www.thedraftanalyst.com/2019...-alex-newhook/Newhook is a fast, determined skater with exceptional balance and agility. He can beat you inside or out, and you can count on him causing at least one defenseman per game to blow a tire. His combination of speed and puck control makes him lethal off the rush, but he also makes the right reads and is able to exploit an overloaded side or confusion in coverage. Newhook has super-soft hands and is a threat to score from just about anywhere, and his shots off the pass are either labeled or deny the chance for the goalie to control the rebound. He can also play physical and doesn’t get intimidated by bigger, stronger players. Newhook has superstar potential thanks to off-the-charts hockey sense with the sublime skill to match it.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfo...oria-1.4238606There's more than one path Newhook could have taken to pursue his NHL dreams, such as playing with a major juniors league like the Quebec Major Junior Hockey league.
Newhook moved to Ontario last year to play with the York Simcoe Express in the provincial triple-A league, and took the league scoring title with 82 points in 40 games. (Submitted)
Instead, he decided to go the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) route by accepting the Boston College scholarship, which will let him complete a university degree while developing his skills and reputation on the ice.
"I think the NCAA path, as opposed to the major junior path, is kind of a path where it gives you more time to develop before potentially going pro," he said.
Watching him play: I am usually a little gun-shy of having interest in highly ranked BCHL players, simply because a lot of context needs to be taken into consideration when they put up good numbers; for example, he has 61 points in 34 games. That being said, though, he shows quite the arsenal in all aspects of the game. He plays in all situations, and has equal aptitude in his shot, puck handling, and his passing. His strongest skill, as you can imagine from the articles above, is his skating. He is extremely strong on his skates and shows high end speed. As the league (and the Kings) are trying to eye more speed, he can bring in a lot of attention.
Overall: One of the players I thought of, in terms of draft years, is Kyle Turris. He was an offensively gifted player in the BCHL, although Turris was a little more lanky. He went 3rd overall in the Patrick Kane draft. I think Newhook could top out to have a similar role; his commitment to BC to build his strength should also contribute to him having a stronger, more NHL ready body when he's set for the pros. Since he is keeping his NCAA eligibility, the drafting team will have a lot of flexibility to either try to sign him to the AHL, let him go to BC, or encourage him to go to Halifax of the QMJHL. Roster flexibility is always a huge plus for a player of this caliber.
He isn't as highly touted as some players in this draft, but the rankings are rather volatile. He is ranked as high as 4th and as low as 26th.
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