A puzzling decision or a decision on a puzzle?
One scout suggests leaving Alex Newoook off Canadian U18 team was not so much a snub, but a case of looking for the right roster fit
He lit up the Tier II British Columbia Hockey League last season, finishing eighth in scoring (playing 10 to 13 games fewer than the other seven top scorers, by the way),winning rookie of the year honors in the league and in junior A hockey across Canada.
He’s already being touted as a Top 10 draft pick in next year’s NHL Draft (The Hockey News’ early line has him No. 2 behind only American Jack Hughes).
So why didn’t 17-year-old Alex Newhook of St. John’s, the most talked about prospect to come from these parts since Daniel Cleary, make the national under-18 team?
The suggestion was thrown out there on Twitter last year by yours truly, and the response and subsequent chatter was immediate: could it be Newhook was overlooked because he has elected to return to junior A in Victoria, B.C. this upcoming season to fulfill his promise of playing U.S. college hockey in Boston starting in 2019?
There was a lot of pressure on Newhook to join the Halifax Mooseheads this season. The Moose are playing host to the Memorial Cup, and, our spies tell us, laid out a very attractive package to their 2017 midget draft pick.
Undaunted, Newhook remains hell-bent on playing NCAA hockey.
Of the 22 players in the U18 team, 21 are playing in the Canadian Hockey League. In the interest of fairness, it should be noted the 22nd is Dylan Holloway of Okotoks of the Alberta Junior Hockey League, and Holloway is committed to the University of Wisconsin.
At the U18 evaluation camp, Newhook had four points in three games. Word among scouts is Newhook played very
well in the first game, just OK in the next two.
That’s what we’re hearing. And unless one was there for camp, one can’t really make a judgment.
But we do know this: selecting all-star teams like the Olympic squad and before that Canada Cup teams, world junior or even U18 teams is more than about selecting the 22 most talented players in camp.
It’s about finding the right fit. Here’s what I was told by one scout: “I know the Hockey Canada guys thought he was good enough and smart and skilled enough for top nine, but he would have had to likely play wing,” he said.
“And they didn’t feel he was suited for a fourth-line centre role.”
Architects of these teams are tasked with finding a lineup that will make for a very good team, very quickly, for a short tournament.
If it was simply about getting the best players, all you’d need, one would think, is a good hockey poolie.
“It’s just the way it goes
sometimes,” said the scout. “I’ve seen teams sometimes take a lesser player in a trade because that guy might be a better fit in the puzzle.”
Newhook, who will be the Grizzlies’ captain this season, said he will attempt to use an obvious disappointment as a source of “motivation.”
“I was definitely hoping to make the team going into camp. It’s tough for me to take, but Hockey Canada had tough decisions to make,” Newhook told the Victoria Times-colonist.
“I’m going to use this as motivation coming into the season. This is going to push me even harder.”
“I know the Hockey Canada guys thought he was good enough and smart and skilled enough for top nine (forward role), but he would have had to likely play wing. And they didn’t feel he was suited for a fourth-line centre role.” Scout on Alex Newhook at Canadian U18 camp