The Colorado Avalanche have signed star forward prospect Alex Newhook to a three-year, entry-level contract. This is a huge move that will remind many fans of how Colorado signed and debuted Cale Makar for the 2018-19 playoffs. We don’t know if Newhook will debut like Makar, but it’s a fantastic move for the future. The team announced the signing Wednesday afternoon.
Welcome, Alex!#GoAvsGo https://t.co/M9PX76rY88
— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) March 31, 2021
Avalanche Sign Alex Newhook
Newhook has been brilliant in his amateur career. He scored 38 goals and 102 points in 53 games with the BCHL’s Victoria Grizzlies prior to his selection. He then shined with Boston College in at the NCAA level with 26 goals and 58 points in 46 games across two seasons. If that wasn’t enough, he also posted three goals and six points with Canada’s Under-20 team at the 2020-21 World Junior Championships. It’s simply a sparkling resume for someone coming from a less well-known amateur conference like the one in British Columbia.
The Avalanche originally selected Newhook with the 16th overall pick in the 2019 draft. He was the team’s second pick of the draft after Bowen Byram. Newhook stands 5’10” and brings some fantastic skills to the ice. He was one of the fastest skaters in his draft class with excellent edgework. He’s such a good skater that defenders struggle to contain him on the rush with any consistency. Newhook is also a good passer, shooter, and should be fine in the faceoff circle. There’s little doubt he’ll become a quality top-six forward quickly.
What This Means For The Future
As good as Newhook is, Colorado doesn’t have an immediate fit on the active roster. They have four centres who are all playing strong hockey at this point in the season. It wouldn’t make much sense to force the young skater into action and risk disrupting the current chemistry. However, we should expect Newhook on the ice as soon as 2021-22 if Nazem Kadri or another forward is lost in the Seattle expansion draft.
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