Two northern players aim to make an impact at World Juniors tourney
Two northern Ontario players in the Ontario Hockey League won’t be home this Christmas – and they couldn’t be more excited.
Ben Gaudreau, who hails from Corbeil, and Sault Ste. Marie’s Jack Matier are in Moncton preparing for the World Junior Hockey Championship, begins Boxing Day on TSN.
Matier said it’s an honour to have the chance to represent his country at such a showcase tournament.
“It's a special time for me, growing up as a Canadian kid, everyone wants to play at the world juniors,” he said.
“It's been a goal of mine all year, and I'm proud I accomplished it.”
The Ottawa 67’s defenceman said the key to making the team came down to knowing his role and brining a physical element on the ice.
“I've always been a bigger kid, so just growing into my body and using it as a tool, just to play physical and box guys out and stuff like that,” Matier said
For Team Canada coach Dennis Williams, Matier brings a lot to the team.
“He plays inside the dots, has range, reach ... he knows exactly who he is and what he can bring,” said Williams.
“Obviously, we're not asking him to run a power play or lug pucks up the ice. It's about complementing somebody else on the back end.”
Matier is having a banner season with the 67's with 26 points in 26 games, and will now get the chance to protect another northern pickup on the team in goalie Gaudreau.
“Since I was a kid, I dreamed of playing for this team, so being named to the team is something special that I'll never forget for sure,” said Gaudreau.
He wasn’t sure if he made the team prior to getting the official word from management. But team officials liked his play in the under 18-World Championship where he led Canada to a gold medal.
“I think I just dialed it in, something I have to bring back to here,” he said.
“It’s been a little bit of a rough year in Sarnia, but I'll try to bounce back from that and get some confidence here which I think has already started.”
Canada plays Czechia Monday in the team’s first game.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Parents of infant who died in wrong-way crash on Ontario's Hwy. 401 were in same vehicle
Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit has released new details about a wrong-way collision in Whitby on Monday night that claimed the lives of four people.
Loblaw leaders call criticism 'misguided,' say they aren't to blame for high food prices
Loblaw chairman Galen Weston and the company's new CEO are pushing back against critics who blame the grocery giant for soaring food prices, as a month-long boycott of the retailer gets underway.
Three Quebec men from same family father hundreds of children
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
B.C. mayor stripped of budget, barred from committees over Indigenous residential schools book
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
'Giant-killer' Kazushi Kimura to race in Kentucky Derby this weekend: 'I'm representing Canada and Japan'
Six years ago, at age 18, Kazushi Kimura left his home and family behind in Hokkaido, Japan to chase a dream. This weekend, he'll ride in the Kentucky Derby.
Quebec premier asks police to dismantle camp at McGill University
Quebec Premier Francois Legault has called on the police to dismantle the pro-Palestinian protest encampment on the lower field of McGill University's downtown campus in Montreal.
Orangutan observed treating wound using medicinal plant in world first
Scientists working in Indonesia have observed an orangutan intentionally treating a wound on their face with a medicinal plant, the first time this behavior has been documented.
TD Bank hit with $9.2M penalty after failing to report suspicious transactions
Canada’s financial-crime watchdog has levied a $9.2-million penalty against The Toronto-Dominion Bank for non-compliance with money laundering and terrorist financing measures as the bank also faces compliance investigations in the U.S.
Doctors concerned about potential spread of bird flu in Canada
H5N1 or avian flu has been detected at dozens of U.S. dairy farms and Canadian experts are urging surveillance on our side of the border too.