Alex Newhook Becomes First Boston College Player to Win National Rookie of the Year Award
Photo by BCEagles.com
Alex Newhook has another piece of hardware to show for a phenomenal freshman season. On Friday, he won the Tim Taylor Award, which is the NCAA’s version of the Rookie of the Year.
Newhook is the first BC player to win the award, which was first give out in 2007. In fact, no school other than Boston University has multiple award winners; the Terriers have four, including last season’s winner Joel Farabee.
He finished near the top of every major statistical category, not just among freshman, but among all players. Eleventh in goals, seventh in points, first in short-handed goals, third in plus-minus. These were just a few of Newhook’s stellar stats.
The Newfoundland native finished second among all freshman in points, trailing Harvard’s Nick Abruzzese by two points. Newhook and Cole Caufield tied for the freshman scoring lead, each with 19 goals.
After a slow start to the season, Newhook took off when placed on a line with Aapeli Rasanen and Mike Hardman. Later in the season, more line shuffling saw the formation of an all-freshman line, as Matt Boldy joined Newhook and Hardman.
The freshmen first skated as linemates during the February 7 game against UMass Lowell. Newhook had 20 points over the season’s final 10 games playing alongside his fellow freshman. By season’s end, he had vaulted himself into the Hobey Baker conversation as a dark-horse candidate.
Although he didn’t make the final cut for college hockey’s most prestigious award, Newhook enters next season as one of the favorites to take home the Hobey, and he’s in good company after winning the Tim Taylor Award. Saturday night, Minnesota-Duluth defenseman Scott Perunovich was announced as the 2019-20 Hobey Baker winner. Two years earlier, the junior was in Newhook’s shoes, receiving the National Rookie of the Year Award. Jack Eichel also won both awards and was the only player to do so in the same season.
As mentioned, Newhook will be back at BC next season. He, Boldy and Hardman project as the first line for the Eagles, who should enter as one of the top-ranked teams in the nation.