Former Victoria Grizzlies forward and current Boston College sophomore Alex Newhook has been invited to Team Canada’s selection camp for the 2021 World Junior Championships. Canada’s camp is set to take place Nov. 13 to Dec. 16 in Red Deer, Alta.
Newhook was invited to last year’s selection camp, but was released in the final round of cuts just prior to the tournament.
The 2020 edition of Team Canada won their 18th gold medal in tournament history after a 4-3 victory over Russia.
“Although this has been a difficult year for our athletes and staff, we are excited to unveil the 46 players who will compete for a spot on Canada’s National Junior Team at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship,” said Scott Salmond, senior vice-president of national teams for Hockey Canada. “We know our athletes are excited for the opportunity to defend gold on home ice this year, and we expect a highly competitive selection camp with a number of difficult decisions to be made when it comes time to select the players who will wear the Maple Leaf in Edmonton in December.”
The Team Canada selection camp will include practices and intra-squad games, as well as six games against a team of U SPORTS all-stars, between Nov. 28 and Dec. 13.
Newhook excelled in his first season at Boston College last year. He 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 102 points in 53 games to take home the Brett Hull Trophy as the league’s leading scorer. That same season in 2018-19, 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 drafted in the first round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, 16th overall, to the Colorado Avalanche.
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 will play in Group A along with Finland, Germany, Slovakia and Switzerland.
The tournament begins Christmas Day, but Canada plays its first game Dec. 26 against the Germans.
Click here to view the full list of invites to selection camp.
