Former Victoria Grizzlies forward and current Boston College sophomore Alex Newhook has been named to Team Canada’s 25-man roster for the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship in Edmonton, Alta.
Team Canada announced their final roster today after a month-long camp that was interrupted by a two-week quarantine period due to COVID-19.
“This camp has been unconventional from the outset with the number of players invited and the length of camp, along with the schedule adjustment due to our two-week shutdown, but we feel we have selected a group that will give us the best chance to defend our gold medal on home ice,” said Alan Millar, the U20 lead for the Hockey Canada Program of Excellence management group. “It is never easy making decisions to trim down a roster, especially when every player handled adversity, faced challenges head on and remained committed to the process through our off-ice workouts and Zoom sessions.”
The tournament begins on Christmas Day, but Canada will play their opener on Dec. 26 against Germany.
Newhook excelled in his first season at Boston College last year. The Colorado Avalanche 2019 first-round draft pick had 19 goals and 23 assists for 42 points in 34 games as a freshman. He also brought in several post-season accolades, including Hockey East Rookie of the Year and the Tim Taylor Award for the top rookie in all of college hockey. He also earned a spot on the Hockey East All-Rookie Team and was named a Second-Team All-Star.
The St. John’s, N.L. product also enjoyed a successful BCHL career, totaling 168 points in 98 regular-season games over his two seasons in Victoria. He won the Bruce Allison Memorial Trophy as the league’s top rookie in 2017-18, but took his game to another level the following season where he notched 102 points in 53 games to take home the Brett Hull Trophy as the league’s leading scorer. That same season, he won the Vern Dye Memorial Trophy as the BCHL’s Most Valuable Player and was named the CJHL’s MVP and Top Forward.
Newhook was invited to last year’s selection camp, but was released in the final round of cuts just prior to the tournament.
The 2021 World Junior Championship will follow the same bubble format the NHL used for its playoffs and will be held in Edmonton, Alta.
Canada, who is the defending champion, will play in Group A along with Finland, Germany, Slovakia and Switzerland.
Click here to view the full 25-man roster.
