Alles Andere » selection camp for the upcoming world junior

TORONTO - The status of Erie Otters forward Connor McDavid remained a question mark on the eve of the Canadian team selection camp for the upcoming world junior championship.McDavid, who hasnt played since breaking a bone in his right hand on Nov. 12, had his cast removed this week and is cleared for non-contact practice. But Canadian head coach Benoit Groulx said its still too early to know what to expect from the star player.Were going to talk with Connor tomorrow and obviously its great news for us to have him on the ice to skate, Groulx said Wednesday in a phone interview. Were going to discuss with him how he feels and hes going to be monitored by the doctor.Obviously its going to be a day-to-day evaluation. Well start from there and see how it goes.Groulx plans to meet with team brass and doctors on Wednesday night and Thursday to discuss McDavids potential timeline.McDavid, who has 51 points in 18 games this season, is an early favourite to be selected first overall in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. He will likely be eased back but is expected to be ready for Canadas opener Dec. 26 against Slovakia.Groulx is expected to ice a lineup that features several 19-year-old players with an emphasis on speed and skill. Halifax Mooseheads goaltender Zach Fucale is returning after playing for Canada at last years tournament in Malmo, Sweden.Eric Comrie of the Tri-City Americans is the other netminder.Other returning players include McDavid, defencemen Chris Bigras of the Owen Sound Attack and Josh Morrissey of the Prince Albert Raiders, and forwards Frederik Gauthier of the Rimouski Oceanic, Nic Petan of the Portland Winterhawks and Sam Reinhart of the Kootenay Ice.The Canadian side got a boost this week when the New York Rangers confirmed that 19-year-old forward Anthony Duclair would be loaned to the team. I think he has learned a lot from being in the NHL for three months and obviously its a big plus for us in terms of skills, in terms of ability and in terms of puck possession, Groulx said.There could more additions to come.NHL clubs have until the Dec. 19 roster freeze to decide whether they will loan players to the team. There is a chance Jonathan Drouin of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Curtis Lazar of the Ottawa Senators and Bo Horvat of the Vancouver Canucks could still be added.The original camp invite list included 29 players (10 defencemen, 17 forwards, two goalies). A total of 22 players will make the cut. A third netminder could be added during the tournament if needed.Its very important that we get going right away, Groulx said of his early plans. We dont have much time. Its a short tournament. We want them on the ice to show them exactly the intensity that we want.Canada finished fourth in Malmo and hasnt won gold in five years.Groulx, the head coach of the Gatineau Olympiques, was an assistant coach under Brent Sutter at the 2014 tournament. Dave Lowry and Scott Walker will serve as assistants this year.The first practice is set for Thursday night at the MasterCard Centre. Two games will be played against the CIS Toronto Selects this weekend before the players head to St. Catharines, Ont., for pre-competition camp.The tournament runs through Jan. 5. Canada will play the group stage in Montreal and knockout games in Toronto.Denmark takes on Russia in the preliminary round opener Dec. 26 at Air Canada Centre. Sweden opens against the Czech Republic in Toronto later that day.Finland opens against the United States at the Bell Centre. The Canada-Slovakia game will be played there in the evening.Germany and Switzerland will play their opening games Dec. 27. The playoff round begins Jan. 2.Helsinki will handle hosting duties in 2016. The tournament will return to Montreal and Toronto in 2017.———Follow @GregoryStrongCP on Twitter. Dustin McGowan Jersey .C. -- Glenn Howard needed an extra end to move into the Masters Grand Slam of Curling final. Custom Tampa Bay Rays Jerseys . Ronaldo netted his 14th goal of the season in Europes top competition to give Madrid a clear advantage ahead of next weeks quarterfinal return leg in Germany. But it came at a price as the Portugal forward, who came into the first-leg nursing a sore left knee, came off in the 80th minute. http://www.officialraysgearshop.com/ . Groves signed with Cleveland as an unrestricted free agent last year after a season with Arizona. He was in the linebacker rotation and had a sack in the season opener against Miami. Matt Andriese Jersey . Join World Soccer Pickem 2014 for your chance to win $5,500 in cash prizes by picking the winner of each game all the way through to the tournament final. Will you ride a favourite such as Spain or Germany, or cast your lot with an underdog like Ivory Coast or Mexico? Perhaps key victories from Netherlands or the United States will be your key to victory. Christian Arroyo Jersey . Malone will become an unrestricted free-agent and as per the collective bargaining agreement, the Lightning will be responsible for two-thirds of the remainder of his contract over twice the length of the rest of the deal.Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - Not even Nostradamus couldve foretold that TCU would begin 13-0. Or prognosticate that Temple would beat Kansas by 25. Or forecast that Old Dominion would be in the top 25 for the first time after winning just five games two years ago. Or even predict that Notre Dame, Maryland, West Virginia, Seton Hall and Washington would all return to the national landscape. The Big 12 never had six teams ranked in the top 25 until last week. The Horned Frogs werent one of them, but theyve been the conferences most surprising squad. They may not make it into the NCAA Tournament come March, but an appearance in any of the postseason tournaments would make this season successful. Granted, TCU had a non-conference schedule ranked in the 300s, doesnt really own a signature win and has begun 0-3 in the Big 12. But this is a school that failed to win a conference game a year ago and has posted just two since joining the Big 12 in 2012. The Horned Frogs solid start had them ranked in the top 25 for the first time since the 1998-99 season. They raced off to their best start in the programs 106-year history and have already surpassed last years win total. The Owls have been flying high since the second-semester acquisitions of Jesse Morgan and Devin Coleman, evidenced by a 77-52 shellacking of Kansas on Dec. 22. Theyve greatly improved their 3-point shooting, 35.7 percent (60-of-168), since the duo joined the fray. Temple had shot just 24.5 percent (45-of-184) prior to their arrival. You have to take the good and the bad with streaky- shooting Morgan, however. He was 0-of-13 from beyond the arc in the Owls 63-56 loss to Tulsa on Saturday. The biggest difference between this year and last has been the Owls much- improved defense. Temple allowed opponents to score 78.1 points per game and shoot 47.4 percent from the floor last season, but have surrendered just 61.8 points while combatants are connecting on just 38.2 percent of attempts during this campaign. Old Dominion already has four top-100 wins, VCU, LSU, Georgia State and Charlotte, which might be enough for an at-large bid come March. This depends on how the Monarchs finish in Conference USA or if they slip up in the conference tournament. Jeff Jones took over Old Dominion a year after it won five games and his team notched 18 victories. This season, the Monarchs got off to their best start in school history, although they suffered a 72-65 defeat at Western Kentucky on Saturday. Notre Dames ACC debut last season was a bust. The Irish (15-17) finished 11th in the conference and endured their first losing season since 1998-99. One of the main reasons for their futility was the suspension of Jerian Grant, who was lost after 12 games due to an academic issue. Notre Dame was 8-4 with him and just 7-13 without their star. This season, like TCU, Notre Dame also had a weak non-conference strength of schedule (299), but last Mondays road win at North Carolina gave it some credibility. And so much for coach Mike Breys Burn offense; the only thing the Irish are burning are the nets. They are scoring 83.3 points per game, lead the country in field-goal percentage (53.5) and are among the nations leaders in 3-point field goal percentage (40.7). Maryland shocked many when it took down Iowa State in the CBE Classic title game on Nov. 25, but what mightve been even more stunning was its continued success despite the loss of Dez Wells. The Terrapins went 6-1 during his absence -- the lone defeat to unbeaten Virginia on Dec. 3 -- after he brokee his wrist in that victory over the Cyclones.dddddddddddd They can thank freshman Melo Trimble for that. Trimble, who was Marylands first McDonalds All-American since Mike Jones in 2003, is currently leading the team in scoring with 16.3 points per game. The Terps havent made the past four NCAA Tournaments, their longest drought since 1989-93, but that should change this year. Even with star guard Juwan Staten on the roster, nobody expected much from West Virginia this season in a loaded Big 12. But so far the Mountaineers have just two blemishes on their resume, home losses to LSU on Dec. 4 and Iowa State Saturday. They have wins over Connecticut, NC State and Wofford. Coach Bob Huggins full-court pressure has paid huge dividends this season. The Mountaineers are currently forcing more turnovers than any team in the country (22.3). The momentum of Sterling Gibbs game-winning shot in Seton Halls Big East Tournament first round upset win over Villanova has carried over into this season. The emergence of heralded recruit Isaiah Whitehead has also been a huge factor. Gibbs leads the team in scoring (16.0 ppg) and assists (3.9 apg), while Whitehead is second in both categories (11.9 ppg, 3.4 apg). The Pirates made it into the top 25 last week after garnering a pair of upset home triumphs over then-No. 15 St. Johns and then-No. 6 Villanova, then lost at Xavier before a one-point win at Creighton. Washingtons suffocating defense and shot-blocking ability had the Huskies in the top 25 prior to a poor early showing in Pac-12 play. Their 11-0 start matched the best during Lorenzo Romars tenure as coach. The Huskies also began 11-0 during the 2005-06 campaign. Opponents are scoring just 60.9 points per game and shooting 34.9 percent from the field. The shot-swatting presence of seven-foot Fresno State transfer Robert Upshaw has made it tough for others to get a good look because of his ability to alter shots at the rim. He leads the country with 4.4 blocks per game. All of these teams have put themselves in position for possible NCAA Tournament berths come March -- besides TCU -- as long as none of them free fall in conference. Note: Projected bracket features predicted conference champions. MIDWEST (Cleveland) 1. Kentucky vs. 16. South Dakota State/Alabama State winner 8. Oklahoma State vs. 9. San Diego State 4. Notre Dame vs. 13. Ohio State/Connecticut winner 5. Seton Hall vs. 12. Wofford 6. Butler vs. 11. Iowa 3. Iowa State vs. 14. Eastern Washington 7. Dayton vs. 10. NC State 2. Arizona vs. 15. American WEST (Los Angeles) 1. Duke vs. 16. Murray State 8. St. Johns vs. 9. Washington 4. West Virginia vs. 13. Georgia/BYU winner 5. VCU vs. 12. SMU 6. Texas vs. 11. Alabama 3. Maryland vs. 14. Stephen F. Austin 7. Northern Iowa vs. 10. Georgetown 2. Gonzaga vs. 15. Northeastern EAST (Syracuse) 1. Virginia vs. 16. Coastal Carolina/New Mexico State winner 8. George Washington vs. 9. Old Dominion 4. Arkansas vs. 13. Buffalo 5. Oklahoma vs. 12. Temple 6. Baylor vs. 11. Green Bay 3. Utah vs. 14. NC Central 7. Providence vs. 10. Syracuse 2. Wisconsin vs. 15. Iona SOUTH (Houston) 1. Villanova vs. 16. UC Santa Barbara 8. Cincinnati vs. 9. Stanford 4. Wichita State vs. 13. Georgia/BYU winner 5. North Carolina vs. 12. Harvard 6. LSU vs. 11. Xavier 3. Louisville vs. 14. Georgia State 7. Colorado State vs. 10. Michigan State 2. Kansas vs. 15. Florida Gulf Coast FIRST FOUR OUT Illinois Indiana Georgia Tech Tulsa Cheap Buffalo Sabres Gear Wholesale Calgary Flames Jerseys Cheap Adidas Colorado Avalanche Jerseys Montreal Canadiens Outlet Store Wholesale New Jersey Devils Jerseys Adidas Arizona Coyotes Jerseys Cheap Adidas Boston Bruins Jerseys Cheap Adidas Carolina Hurricanes Jerseys Chicago Blackhawks Shop Free Shipping Wholesale Columbus Blue Jackets Jerseys Dallas Stars Shop Free Shipping Cheap Adidas Detroit Red Wings Jerseys Anaheim Ducks Jerseys China Wholesale Edmonton Oilers Jerseys Florida Panthers Shop Free Shipping Wholesale Los Angeles Kings Jerseys Minnesota Wild Outlet Store Cheap Adidas Nashville Predators Jerseys Cheap Adidas New York Islanders Jerseys New York Rangers Winter Classic Jerseys Cheap Adidas Ottawa Senators Jerseys Cheap Adidas Philadelphia Flyers Jerseys Wholesale Pittsburgh Penguins Jerseys Cheap Adidas San Jose Sharks Jerseys St. Louis Blues Winter Classic Jerseys Wholesale Tampa Bay Lightning Jerseys Toronto Maple Leafs Outlet Store Vancouver Canucks Outlet Store Cheap Adidas Vegas Golden Knights Jerseys Cheap Adidas Washington Capitals Jerseys Cheap Adidas Winnipeg Jets Jerseys ' ' '