Sault Ste. Marie's Blake Speers to join Team Canada for world juniors

This year's installment of Team Canada's national junior team will have a bit of a northeastern Ontario flavour.

Sault Ste. Marie's Blake Speers, who also plays for his hometown junior club, the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds,made the final cut for Team Canada at the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships.

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The tournament starts Boxing Day on December, 26, and will be played in Toronto and Montreal.

Speers was considered a bit of a long shot to make the team due to an injury that kept him away from hockey for much of the fall.

He broke his wrist on October 27 in his first game with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.

However, during training camp for Team Canada, coaches said Speers impressed them with his determination to come back from injury.

Canada will be looking to improve on last year's sixth place finish in the tournament.