The Avalanche, as expected, signed Boston College sophomore forward Alex Newhook to his three-year, entry-level contract, the team announced Wednesday. Newhook, 20, was a first-round draft pick (16th overall) in 2019, selected 12 spots behind Avs defenseman Bo Byram.
Newhook, who will report to the AHL’s Colorado Eagles in Loveland, averaged more than a point-per-game at BC (58 points, 46 games). He assisted on the Eagles’ only goal in last weekend’s 4-1 loss to St. Cloud State in the Albany, N.Y., NCAA Tournament region.
“I’m excited to get with the Eagles, first off, and start playing more games and learning from the coaching staff there. But yeah, obviously, the end goal is to be with the big club and something I’ll continue to work towards every day,” Newhook said from Boston on a conference call with reporters.
Newhook amassed 16 points (seven goals) in 12 games as a sophomore after missing the first half of the year to play for Canada’s World Junior Championship team, which required players to quarantine before the tournament began. He had six points (three goals) and a plus-8 rating in six games for the Canadians, who lost in the gold-medal game to the United States.
The NHL’s COVID-delayed regular-season schedule goes until May 8, a month later than usual, and the Eagles’ last game is May 15. Newhook said the chance to play more games this season played a part in his decision.
“It’s definitely a positive piece to it, especially given how many games I’ve been able to play this year with injuries and being at World Juniors. I think there’s still a lot of room to get more games this year,” he said. “It was definitely just another positive piece where it was hard to turn down.”
As a freshman in 2019-20, Newhook won the Tim Taylor Award as the NCAA’s freshman of the year, after producing 42 points (19 goals) in 34 games. He led all NCAA freshmen in goals, game-winning goals (four) and shorthanded goals (three), and his plus-28 rating was third.
The Avalanche is fully stocked with top-six forwards, but Newhook will be a candidate to replace second-line left wing Brandon Saad next season. Saad, 28, is a pending unrestricted free agent with a $6 million cap hit ($1 million retained by the Chicago Blackhawks). Newhook’s cap hit will be less than $1 million, and the Avs need that relief to re-sign left wing Gabe Landeskog and goalie Philipp Grubauer, both pending UFAs, and restricted free-agent defenseman Cale Makar.
Newhook is the third BC sophomore to turn professional this week. The Minnesota Wild signed forward Matt Boldy on Tuesday and the Florida Panthers signed goalie Spencer Knight on Wednesday.
“I’ve been in contact with them a lot since the end of the year and I think we’re all kind of similar situations, being in our second year (at BC) and the situation with a lot of games being left in the season,” Newhook said of Boldy and Knight, who also were 2019 first-round draft picks. “Especially myself and ‘Bolds,’ we’re roommates here and really good friends. It was nice to be able to talk to someone in a similar situation and look forward to what we both have ahead.”
