Top 10 at 10: Krebs & Newhook

Today we conclude our look at 10 players who could be available for the Canucks when they head to the podium to make their 10th overall selection.

If you missed any of the previous posts, they can be found here:
With the draft only a week away, the anticipation is ramping up with each passing hour. Canucks fans are particularly excited to have the marquee event here in Vancouver and eagerly awaiting to see who will join the organization's prospect pool. So, let's dive in and look at the WHL forward and BCHL centre who round out the group.

Peyton Krebs

Watch: Youtube Video
Peyton Krebs is a supremely gifted player who offers so many offensive attributes that he combines with a fantastic work ethic. It's also worth noting that he can seamlessly switch between the wing and centre.
In 64 WHL games this season, Krebs scored 19 goals and assisted on 49 more for a total of 68 points. That number was 15 points clear of second place on the Kootenay Ice. Krebs represented Canada twice this year with two goals and three assists in five Ivan Hlinka games to start the season, and then closed with a six goal and four assist output in seven U18 World Junior games.
Krebs is a fantastic skater who combines explosiveness, agility and elusiveness to wreak havoc all over the ice. He can make defenceman look silly as he uses those attributes and combines it with his imaginative puck skills to dance through or around them.
If you can contain or disrupt him, he won't give up on a play. Krebs is willing to get into the dirty areas and aggressively battle for the puck.
Krebs is a rare blend of intelligence, aggression, and skill which offers him so much versatility in the offensive zone.
All those positive attributes to his game allow him to be a responsible defensive player as well. Not to mention that he can transition the puck out of his zone as good as any forward in this draft class.
Don't let his minus-50 on the season take away from what he can do without the puck as well. Unfortunately, Kootenay struggled this season and given that they leaned so heavily on Krebs that his plus-minus suffered, but his game suggest that it shouldn't be a concern in the long-term.
Krebs already made news recently after suffering an Achilles injury during off-season training, but that should be of little concern as he should be ready early in the 2019-20 campaign.
The Calgary native has had so many things work against him this season, but seems to just keep pushing through them. His U18 World Juniors performance is a clear indication that there is more to come from him.

Alex Newhook

Watch: Youtube Video
Like Krebs, there have been a lot of questions this season about Alex Newhook and what his impact can be at the next level. Krebs was on a team that really struggled, while Newhook spent the 2018-19 season in the BCHL with the Victoria Grizzlies after being cut from Team Canada at the Ivan Hlinka.
Newhook did everything he could to quiet those concerns by leading the BCHL in points with 38 goals and 64 assists in 53 games. But then the question was maybe he couldn't do that against the elite peers from around the world - so he went to the U18 World Juniors and scored 10 points (5-5-10) in seven games on a line with Krebs.
Now, those early season questions no longer remain and people are now excited about what the pivot may develop into.
Newhook plays the game with serious pace and makes things happen by being constantly in motion. He can do this because he is a great skater that generates speed with long and powerful strides but is surprisingly agile as well. He likes to be the puck-carrying option for his opponents attack and then let his teammates catch up to him.
When they do, Newhook is very good at reading how things will develop and then either use his snapshot or playmaking abilities to pick apart the opponent's defensive structure.
Transitioning back to the defensive responibilities, the 5'10" and 190 lbs centre is adept at hounding opponents on the back-check and along the boards. He is tenacious, driven, and relentless in how he engages his opponents to force them to cough up the puck.
Newhook wants to have the puck on his stick, loves to dictate how things occur on the ice, and plays with no off-switch.
The St John's born centre will have to fine tune a few things about his game to allow him to be successful in professional hockey, but he plays at such a high clip that you can imagine him doing all of these positive things at the NHL level as a mobile two-way pivot.
Newhook will head to Boston College next season and should be given every opportunity to be an offensive catalyst for the Eagles.