From Newfoundland rinks to Team Canada: Abby Newhook earns national team invitation
Abby Newhook’s hockey journey began on rinks in this province. Now, the St. John’s native is one step closer to, once again, putting on the Maple Leaf.
The 23-year-old forward has been invited to Hockey Canada’s National Women’s Team Training Camp, which will take place Oct. 8-14 at the Centre Vidéotron in Quebec City.
Newhook is among 48 players selected for the camp, including six goaltenders, 16 defenders and 26 forwards. The group includes Olympic medallists, world champions and nine players attending their first camp with Canada’s National Women’s Team.
For Newhook, the invitation represents another significant milestone in a hockey career that began in her home province before taking her across the country and eventually into the professional ranks.
Newhook played her minor hockey in Newfoundland and Labrador before moving on to prep school and then Boston College, where she developed into one of the program’s leaders and served as captain during her senior season. She continued that progression into professional hockey, joining the Boston Fleet of the Professional Women’s Hockey League.
In her rookie PWHL season, Newhook recorded 14 points in 29 games, earning valuable experience against some of the best women’s hockey players in the world.
Now, she will have the opportunity to compete alongside many of those players as she looks to establish herself within Canada’s national program.
The camp will begin the process of building Canada’s team identity ahead of the 2026 IIHF Women’s World Championship, while also looking toward the next Olympic cycle. The roster includes 18 players who won silver with Canada at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games and 19 players who were part of Canada’s 2024 Women’s World Championship gold-medal team.
Newhook is part of a group of nine players receiving their first invitation to a national team camp. During the Quebec City camp, the players will be divided into Red and White teams for practices and fitness testing, along with intrasquad games scheduled for Oct. 12 and 14.
The camp will also serve as an important evaluation period ahead of the 2026 IIHF Women’s World Championship, which begins Nov. 6 in Herning and Esbjerg, Denmark.
Canada is also scheduled to play pre-tournament games in Windsor, Ontario, and Plymouth, Michigan, on Oct. 28 and 30.
For Newhook, the opportunity is another chapter in a hockey story that started thousands of kilometres from the national team spotlight.
She began playing the game in Newfoundland and Labrador, developed her skills through the hockey system and eventually earned the opportunity to captain a major NCAA Division I program.
Now, after making her mark in her first PWHL season, the St. John’s native is getting her chance to compete for a place among the country’s elite.
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