Blake Speers had a taste of pro hockey before. At the start of the 2016-17
season, he made the New Jersey Devils opening night roster and played in their
first three games. After going pointless in those games as a third/fourth
liner, the club returned him to his junior team, the Sault Ste. Marie
Greyhounds for more seasoning where he would finish out his second season as
captain of the team he called home for four seasons.

This past season the 21-year-old Speers started and finished his first full pro
 season with the Binghamton Devils in the AHL and he'd be the first to tell you
 that he certainly had his ups and downs there. But that hasn't altered his
perspective or goals for the upcoming campaign that is quickly approaching as
we finish out the dog days of August.Blake Speers looks on from the bench at
New Jersey Devils 2017 Development Camp. (Photo Credit: New Jersey
Devils/Patrick Dodson)Blake's Bad Breaks

"It was obviously a huge learning process. It clearly didn't go as well as I
had expected, or hoped; or how a lot of other people expected," Speers admitted
 following the completion of the Devils' annual Development Camp in July. "But
that's the way things work. Things aren't always going to go the way you want
them to and that's where you have to show some grit. You have to come out of it
 stronger than how you came into it. I absolutely, 100 percent believe that I
came out of that with the learning experiences and the knowledge to really move
 forward in my career, and really take that next step next year. I also believe
 that it had to happen in order for me to become an NHL player," he added.
"Going through hard times only makes you stronger in the end."

Over 62 games in the AHL with a team that found itself at the bottom of the
standings for a majority of the season Speers finished with 19 points (12g-7a).
 But over his final eight games with Binghamton, he seemed to turn a corner and
 started playing like the player who was a force with the Greyhounds (215
points in 217 OHL games) - putting up five goals and two assists (including two
 multi-point games) for a team that was long eliminated from making the
playoffs.Blake Speers with the Binghamton Devils. (Photo Credit: JustSports
Photography/Binghamton Devils)Developing Devils

"You never want to struggle on your own, and especially close friends - you
never want to see them struggle. But Nate (Nathan Bastian) and I were in a
pretty similar position coming in as first-year guys who both had our fair
share of struggles, but it was good because we were able to relate to each
other about it. We had a lot of dialogue about it and I believe we were able to
 help each other move forward and have pretty strong second halves for
ourselves," said Speers.

"He'd probably tell you the same thing. It's nice to have someone to help you
through it, especially when it's your first year on your own and you don't have
 your parents around as much, your billet family isn't there. It can be an
uncomfortable situation going from a team that you're with for maybe four years
 to a new team with older guys. You feel a lot of pressure to impress people. I
 think one major thing both of us learned is you have to really just focus on
yourself, focus on self-improvement and you'll get there eventually."Blake
Speers of the Binghamton Devils. (Photo Credit: JustSports
Photography/Binghamton Devils)Born Leader

At the development camp, Speers took it upon himself to take on more of a
leadership role, which he hopes that the coaches noticed. Perhaps it was some
of those same qualities that led him to be a captain for two seasons in the
OHL. "It's an awesome opportunity, especially being one of three or four guys
that have been here a long time now. You see a young guy come in here, or maybe
 a Euro come in here, and you want to make an impact on them - find a way to
make them feel more comfortable," said the Devils 3rd round pick (67th overall)
 from the 2015 NHL Draft. 

"You want to give them one piece of advice that they can learn from you, and
come away saying, ΓÇÿhey (being in) Jersey taught me this' or whatever it is
they take away. It's a great opportunity (for me) to show the brass and the
staff here that I can take on that responsibility, that I'm willing to be a
good teammate, and help guys along. It's been a lot of fun."One Goal

He left the camp with one goal in mind, to come back in September and be better
 than he was when he made his NHL debut in 2016. To come back with the
knowledge he gained in his trials and tribulations with Binghamton and compete
for a spot as an NHL player. "I think overall we had a really good group of
guys here, which is one thing that made it a lot of fun. I think we came out of
 this and made a lot of new friends and personally, I'm looking forward to the
opportunity to potentially play with a lot of these guys in the future."

"In terms of off-ice stuff that we learned and culture stuff that we learned,
and continue to build on from the previous three years for me - I'm coming out
of it with a very, very clear mindset and a clear blueprint of what needs to
happen for me to be on this team come this September."

The post Tough Times Won't Break Blake Speers appeared first on The Hockey
Writers.

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheHockeyWrite...
--- SBBSecho 3.06-Win32
 * Origin: TequilaMockingbird Online - Toms River, NJ (1:266/404)