Alex Newhook shines for Boston College in Beanpot loss

When Alex Newhook was selected 16th overall by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, he was imminently viewed by most as a steal. Expected to be drafted int he top-10 Newhook fell to Colorado’s second pick and Joe Sakic

“He’s a complete player with unbelievable character” is how Sakic described Newhook the night he was drafted - and he has shown exactly that in his first year at Boston College.

After a bit of a slow start getting adjusted to NCAA hockey, Newhook has transformed himself into one of the best freshmen in the nation. His 22 points in 24 games puts him third behind Trevor Zegras and Cole Caufied for points per game among 18-year old players, while Newhook’s 11 goals is second to only Caufield.

He’s been on of the best prospects in the NCAA this season and that continued Monday night as Boston College took on Zegras and the Boston University Terriers at the historic Beanpot tournament. BC ended up dropping the game to the underdog Terriers, but Newhook did all he could to get a win for his team.

Midway through the first, Newhook scored a beautiful goal to give BC an early two goal lead. On the goal, Newhook showed a quick drive to the net followed by tremendous hands to get the puck up and over the goalie. On the play, Newhook showed exactly the type of high-end offensive ability that many scouts thought he was lacking going into the draft - he’s spent this season proving those doubters wrong.

Late in the third period, Newhook added an assist when helped to set up David Cotton on a goal that would send the game to overtime. Not only has Newhook been playing on the team’s top power play unit, he was also on the ice in the final minute of the biggest game of the season when his team trailed by a goal.

As the season has gone on, Newhook’s role at BC has become bigger to the point that he is now one of the most important players on the 4th ranked team in the nation. He’s grown leaps and bounds over the season and is quickly turning into one of the best prospects in hockey.

Newhook is likely to head back to Boston College for a second season but a contract with the Avs will likely come quickly after his sophomore year concludes.