Sunday notes: Alex Newhook shines for Team Canada

Some pretty good stuff from Avalanche 2019 first-round pick Alex Newhook last night for Team Canada in their 16-2 preliminary round win over Germany.

🚨 Alex Newhook – 2nd of the game #GoAvsGo
8-1 CAN pic.twitter.com/fZMhB8brQx

— Here's Your Replay ⬇️ (@HeresYourReplay) December 27, 2020

Alex Newhook on the Avs should be super fair pic.twitter.com/EF7g81grh7

— /Cam Robinson/ (@Hockey_Robinson) December 27, 2020

Newhook scored twice and added an assist, while fellow 2019 Avs-first-round pick Bo Byram had two assists and was a plus-8. Obviously, this video game score against a German team that was playing short-handed is not a fair indication of much of anything, but that’s usually the case in these prelim games.

The plan is for Newhook to play the rest of this tourney, then the remainder of his Boston College sophomore season, before joining the Avs next season. Could he play for the Avs in the playoffs? Only if he signs after the BC season and jumps right into to the postseason, a la Cale Makar in 2019. But the Avs would then have to eat the first year of his entry-level contract over just a few games possibly.

I don’t see that happening.

Some Sunday notes and links:

• If you’re waiting for a new Avalanche reverse retro jersey, you’ll be waiting a while. I’m told that, of the original order of 7,500 jerseys (which, I believe, the NHL itself orders, not the Avs) that all have sold out. And, that the earliest any new ones will reach these shores won’t be until May.
• The first big NHL trade in weeks went down as the Ottawa Senators snagged Derek Stepan from the Arizona Coyotes for a second-rounder (Sportsnet)
• The Chicago Blackhawks inked old friend Carl Soderberg, the Edmonton Oilers signed Slater Koekkoek, and Ilya Kovalchuk is headed back to Russia because he didn’t get NHL offers and all of the whirlwind free agent offers (TSN)
• Good get by the Boston Hockey Now crew, realizing that three Boston Bruins rookies have changed their numbers and after he switched to No. 23 this past week, Jack Studnicka’s old number 68 is suddenly available. Well, as Ty pointed out, we know Jaromir Jagr isn’t returning. In fact, the ageless wonder is still playing at age 49 for his Czech team this season. However, a certain Mike Hoffman, who the Boston Bruins have been consistently linked to wears No. 68. Did the rook just give his number up for the big fish left on the NHL Free Agency market? (98.5 The Sports Hub)
• Five questions facing the Panthers this season (Florida Hockey Now)
• Thank you to some people here, including Charles Boisvert, Stuart Lange and Glenn Janke for their contributions to the Avalanche Travel Tip Jar. That has already helped pay for some of my first trip of the season, Jan. 18-25 to the L.A.-Anaheim area for four games there. 95 cents of every dollar goes to Avs travel, and 5 cents goes to the Thornton Food Bank. I will be making a contribution there on Monday.