In the Summer of 2019, Abby Newhook attended the NHL Draft in Vancouver, British Columbia, in support of her older brother Alex. He was a highly touted prospect in that year’s draft class. The 16-year-old Newhook soaked up the sights and sounds of the draft, watching her brother go through the first steps of becoming a professional hockey player.
Instagram @abbynewhook / Via instagram.com
Six years later, Newhook has forged her own path and is ready to step into the world of professional hockey.
“I was lucky enough to be there not only for the lead up to the draft, but also to attend the draft with him,” said Newhook. “Seeing all of that years prior definitely opened my eyes to what I am going through now.”
Newhook grew up in St. John’s, Newfoundland, in what is fair to call a hockey family. Her father, Shawn, played hockey growing up, while her mother, Paula, is a marathon runner. Both were supportive of their children when they expressed an interest in playing hockey.
“They’d wake up at any time in the morning to bring us anywhere,” said Newhook. “We did all the travel stuff; they’d bring us to all the skates and everything in between. They’ve been so supportive all the way up and are really into hockey.”
Growing up, Newhook spent her formative years playing hockey with and against boys. She played U15 AAA for the St. John’s Hitmen between 2016 and 2018. She thrived in that environment, finishing her first year on the team as a top-four scorer before captaining the team in year two. She went on to join Tabor Academy in the United States before heading to Boston College.
Instagram @bc_whockey / Via instagram.com
During her four years at BC, Newhook grew as a person while developing her highlight-reel game alongside future PWHL players like Hannah Bilka, Abbey Levy and Cayla Barnes.
“You look up to the older girls first, and then when it becomes your time, it’s like, alright, I have to carry this on my shoulders now … once you become an upperclassman, you find yourself shifting into a different role,” said Newhook. “My first two years, I was definitely more offensively focused, and as I moved into my last two years, I had to add the defensive side to my game as well.”
Newhook has stayed in touch with many of her former teammates who currently play in the PWHL, who have shown her a few tips and tricks that she hopes to apply when she joins the league.
Some of her fondest memories from her time at BC involve playing in the famed Beanpot Tournament. For the last two years, the annual tournament was hosted at TD Garden in Boston. The tournament pits Beantown rivals Harvard, Boston University, Northeastern and Boston College against one another.
“The whole lower bowl and even the upper bowl were getting packed towards the end of the second game,” said Newhook. “Just seeing all the fans up there and seeing how much support there was in Boston was definitely a cool experience.”
On the ice, Newhook is a two-way forward who is hard on the puck. Offensively, she shields the puck well and uses her vision to create opportunities for herself and her teammates. In 142 games at Boston College, she scored 55 goals and tallied 58 assists.
TikTok @bostoncollegewhockey / Via tiktok.com
Because of her impressive play and leadership qualities, Newhook was named a captain of Boston College’s team for the past two seasons.
In the offseason, Newhook balances training and spending time with her family. She usually spends a month at BC before going home for the other two months of the Summer. She and her family often take advantage of the time together by going to their cottage.
The time away is important for Newhook to reset and get ready for the next season. When she isn’t on the ice, she enjoys staying active by going for walks with her dog and playing pickleball.
For the past few years, her time at home has coincided with her brother Alex being home. The two have always been close, going back to their childhood. Like many siblings who love sports, the pair competed relentlessly against one another as youngsters.
‘It wouldn't matter if it was knee hockey in the basement or whatever it was, it was always a full-on battle,” said Newhook. “I was the younger sister, so I’d get put in the net when we were playing street hockey, and it always ended poorly with me running out of the net and losing it at him.”
These days, the pair spends a lot of time together during the offseason training and hanging out. They support each other on and off the ice, always pushing each other to be better. In February, Alex watched her play in Boston while in town with his NHL team, the Canadiens (who captured it all in a great video).
Things have come full circle since 2019, when it was the younger sister supporting her older brother heading into the NHL Draft. Now it is Alex who will stand by his sister and cheer her on when her name gets called at the PWHL Draft. In many ways, he is Newhook’s biggest fan.
“It’s so exciting hearing how supportive he is for the PWHL as well as me and my success,” said Newhook. “He’s really been expressing how excited he is for me, even in the littlest things like what I should wear to the draft … He’s just super excited, and that makes me even happier and excited that he’s able to be there for me.”
Newhook is on the precipice of joining the PWHL at an exciting and hectic time. The expansion of the league to include Seattle and Vancouver resulted in a lot of players changing teams over the last two weeks. Now with the draft ahead, a new class of young talent will join the growing league.
Whatever team ends up drafting Newhook will receive a player who is ready to compete and deliver for that franchise.
“I’m very team-driven,” said Newhook. “Any team that I have been part of I have wanted to do anything to put the team first and give my everything to the team … I want to be the best teammate I can be to whoever I’m playing with, ultimately just putting the team first in everything that I do.”
Headline photo courtesy of Boston College