Heading into the female hockey competition in the 2018 Newfoundland and Labrador Winter Games this week in Deer Lake, the focus was squarely on Abby Newhook of St. John’s.
Ask around the rink and her name is at the top of everyone’s list when discussing who held the mantle of the tournament’s top player.
Some other players crept into the discussion, but for the most part, Newhook is No. 1.
The 14-year-old captain of the St. John’s North squad isn’t worried about that, though. She’s more focused on playing the game. She can’t control what’s being said around the glass.
What she can control is what happens on the ice, and it just so happens she’s pretty darn good at it.
Good enough that she’s already committed to Boston College, but that won’t be until 2021, at the earliest.
In a 5-1 victory over Mount Pearl South this week at the Hodder Memorial Recreation Complex in Deer Lake, Newhook flashed the skills that have people raving about her ability, finishing with four goals and assisting on the fifth. She could have added to that total if not for the stellar play of goaltender Grace Hatcher.
A strong skater, Newhook routinely rushed the puck and made some impressive moves along the way. She showed good on-ice vision, finding teammates with feathery passes through traffic.
If the Newhook surname is familiar to some hockey fans, it is with good reason. The game is strong in her family.
Her brother, Alex, was the British Columbia Hockey League’s rookie of the year this season, and is also committed to attend Boston College beginning in 2019.
The Hockey News recently ranked Newhook No. 2 in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft rankings, just behind American phenom Jack Hughes.
The Newhook siblings come by their athleticism honestly. Their father, Shawn, was a local high school, junior hockey and Avalon East scoring star, while their mother, Paula, played soccer and water polo and is now a long-distance runner.
Abby Newhook has played exclusively boys’ hockey on the island for the last couple of years as a member of the St. John’s Hitmen AAA peewee and bantam teams.
This season, she’s the captain of the bantam squad.
“It’s always body first, and body positioning around the puck,” she said. “I’m used to going into the corners and expecting contact.”
Next season, she's considering attending Tabor Academy, a Massachusetts prep school for Grades 10 to 12.
“You have to keep improving to play at that level and compete at that level,” she said. “Looking ahead is cool … but I know there’s a lot of work left to get there.”
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