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Former Victoria Grizzlies captain Alex Newhook has joined goaltender Dylan Garand of Langford in successfully navigating the most unusual selection camp in Canadian junior hockey team history.
Newhook was named to the final 25-player roster Friday for the 2021 IIHF world U-20 championship, which begins this month without fans in a bubble in Edmonton. Garand was announced among the three goaltenders on Thursday in Red Deer, Alta.
Included are six players from the 2020 world championship Canadian team.
鈥淭his camp has been unconventional from the outset 鈥� with the schedule adjustment due to our two-week shutdown, but we feel we have selected a group that will give us the best chance to defend our gold medal on home ice,鈥� said Alan Millar, the under-20 lead for the Hockey sa国际传媒 program of excellence management group, who selected the roster, with input from other members of the management group.
Camp only resumed on Tuesday as the Canadian players came off a two-week quarantine after two players tested positive for Covid-19.
鈥淚t is never easy making decisions to trim down a roster, especially when every player handled adversity, faced challenges head-on and remained committed to the颅 颅process through our off-ice workouts and Zoom sessions,鈥� Millar said in a statement.
The isolation was even longer for Newhook. Because he came up from Boston College, Newhook was in the midst of a regular 14-day cross-border travellers鈥� quarantine, which was followed by the subsequent team quarantine.
But that didn鈥檛 stop the flitting and quick centre as he made up for being cut from last year鈥檚 selection camp. Newhook flashed the qualities that made him the sa国际传媒 Hockey League top rookie and then MVP in his two seasons in Victoria, leading to selection in the first round of the 2019 NHL draft by the Colorado Avalanche, and being named 2019-20 NCAA rookie of the year with Boston College.
Canadian head coach Andr茅 Tourigny cited Newhook for his 鈥渟peed, balance and shot鈥� and described him as a 鈥渢wo-way player who has lots of energy and good spark.鈥�
The line of Newhook, Dylan Holloway and Jakob Pelletier has been described as the best in camp and has stated its case for being the Canadian first line in the world tournament. All three linemates are first-round NHL draft picks, among the 20 such players on the Canadian team.
鈥淲e click really well,鈥� Holloway said.
Island product Garand is 18 and will also be eligible for the national junior team next year.
鈥淒ylan is an unbelievable goaltender,鈥� said Canadian team forward Connor Zary, who is a teammate of Garand鈥檚 on the Kamloops Blazers of the WHL.
鈥淗e is so sound with his 颅tactics, and so focused and determined on being the best. Little details really matter to him.鈥�
Garand reflected on the strange journey from March and how he handled the unexpected situation. 鈥淚 really took advantage of the pandemic and the time off,鈥� Garand said in a Zoom media call. 鈥淚鈥檇 rather have been playing and having a playoff run [with the Blazers], but that didn鈥檛 happen.
鈥淲e got sent home on a Sunday and I was in the gym on Monday. Being in Victoria, the gyms were open because COVID wasn鈥檛 too bad there. So I got a full summer of training and didn鈥檛 have to take any time off. I did a good job of gaining strength and putting on some weight. I visited some goalie coaches to take my game to the next level. It was capped off with the draft [Garand was selected in the fourth round by the New York Rangers].
鈥淚 think I did a good job of taking advantage of it and was fortunate enough to be in a good situation and made the most of it. So, I鈥檓 definitely happy with how I approached it and how things went.鈥�
The Canadian team goes to Edmonton from Red Deer on Sunday. The world junior tournament begins Christmas Day with defending champion sa国际传媒 opening on Boxing Day against Germany.
