Canadian scoring star Cody Hodgson will miss the world junior championship with a back injury.
The 19-year-old informed Hockey Canada on Tuesday that he will not be able to participate in a selection camp that begins Saturday in Regina, and won't play in the Dec. 26-Jan. 5 tournament in Regina and Saskatoon.
"Under the care and advice of his physician, Hodgson has not sufficiently recovered from a previous injury to play at the high level necessary to represent Canada on the international stage," Hockey Canada said in a statement.
Hodgson was the tournament scoring leader at last year in Ottawa, where Canada won a fifth consecutive gold medal. The Brampton Battalion forward was named Canadian Hockey League player of the year last season. He was drafted 10th overall by the Vancouver Canucks in 2008.
He suffered a bulging disc during dry land training in July. The Markham, Ont., native attended the Vancouver Canucks camp, but struggled to keep up and has not played since.
He resumed training recently and Canadian team officials were optimistic that he would be well enough to play at the world juniors.
