TORONTO - Star forward Connor McDavids cast is off, he has clearance for non-contact drills and is confident hell be ready to play in the upcoming world junior hockey championship.Now its just a matter of seeing how things go at the Canadian teams pre-tournament camp.McDavid hasnt played in a game since breaking a bone in his right hand on Nov. 12. The Erie Otters forward has been skating regularly but his cast wasnt removed until this week. The junior phenom will be examined by doctors on a regular basis and the team says theyre taking things day by day. But the goal is to get McDavid into at least one exhibition game before the tournament opener on Dec. 26.I can take full slapshots and all that, so the hand feels good, McDavid said Thursday afternoon at a downtown hotel. The wrist is not too stiff at all. So it should be all good.Thirty players have been invited to camp and 22 players will make the final team.The 17-year-old 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. His presence would provide a big boost to a squad that hasnt won gold in five years.McDavid was sporting a yellow no-contact jersey during a 75-minute evening practice at MasterCard Centre. He was flying down the ice during drills but his puck-handling skills were a little rusty.I felt good, obviously a couple hiccups there with the puck, he said. I thought I was shooting it fine and I got better as the practice went on.Head coach Benoit Groulx said it would be nice to get McDavid into an exhibition game, but its most important to have him ready for the tournament. We will follow what the doctor says and how he reacts to shooting the puck and passing the puck, he said. But right now theres no rush. Were happy to have him here and well see how it plays out.McDavid was on last years team that finished fourth in Malmo, Sweden. Canadas first game at this years event will be played at Montreals Bell Centre against Slovakia.We want to be patient with him in order to have him at 100 per cent, Groulx said. We dont want to put Connor McDavid on the ice at 75 per cent. Thats why were patient and were going to have to wait and see how he reacts to practising.Other returning players include Halifax Mooseheads goaltender Zach Fucale, 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.There could still be a few late additions to the camp roster. NHL clubs have until the Dec. 19 roster freeze to decide whether they will loan players to the team. Tampa Bay Lightning forward Jonathan Drouin wont be joining the squad but there is a chance Curtis Lazar of the Ottawa Senators and Bo Horvat of the Vancouver Canucks could still be added.The players will practise again Friday before taking on the CIS Toronto Selects over the weekend.We have a good positive attitude, Fucale said. We had a good first practice. Its starting well.After the first few days in Toronto, the team will head down the highway for next weeks pre-competition camp in St. Catharines, Ont. We have the best of the best here, Groulx said. The best 30 players in the country. Theyre all talented. They have skills, they have size, they have speed, they can shoot and pass the puck. But its also about their attitude. What they can bring.Can they block shots? Can they forecheck hard? Can they track hard? Can they make the big plays when it matters the most? To me thats the difference between a good CHL player — because there are a lot of good CHL players — but weve got to have, on this team, world-class players. Guys that can adapt their game and elevate their play. This is what were looking for.Canada will play group stage games in Montreal and knockout games in Toronto. The tournament runs through Jan. 5.———Follow @GregoryStrongCP on Twitter. Philadelphia 76ers Pro Shop . New York then missed its next six shots and scored only two points the rest of the night. The Los Angeles Clippers defence and the Knicks general ineptitude both played a role in the unsurprising finish to a meeting of two teams headed in opposite directions. Philadelphia 76ers Shirts . TSN 1290s Jordan Cieciwa, Big Marv and Toby are here to give their predictions on who will leave with the belt and who will take some of the other key bouts on the card. Johny Hendricks vs. https://www.cheap76ers.com/. 2015 Oscar nomination pending. Here is an open letter from Steven Stamkos to his fans: When I shot this final Moment Zero film last August, it was a fun few days on set with Coke Zero and Jordan Eberle in my hometown of Markham. Custom Philadelphia 76ers Jerseys . A veteran of 16 NHL seasons, Prospals career was highlighted by him ranking fourth in points scored, third in assists and sixth in games played among all Czech Republic born players in NHL history. Stitched 76ers Jerseys . "Well over 50 (per cent)," coach Claude Noel said Tuesday after practice, where the Jets were looking at ways to cut down the scoring chances theyve been giving away.HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- With tears in eyes and three fingers in the air, Richard Childress hardly had words to describe his latest NASCAR championship. His grandson, Austin Dillon, won the Nationwide Series title in the famed No. 3 and by three points. "Hard to believe," Childress said. "I couldnt be more proud of Austin. He drives with his heart every lap. What can you say? Hes just a great competitor, a great grandson. Im proud, really proud of him. He ran good and hard tonight." Sprint Cup regular Brad Keselowski won the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Saturday, moving up 10 spots in the closing few laps to give an otherwise typical race a wild and wacky finish. But the night belonged to Dillon, who overcame a sluggish start and a scrape against the wall to finish 12th. It was good enough to hold off Sam Hornish Jr. by three points. Hornish crossed the line eighth. "It was ugly," said Dillon, who won the Truck Series title in 2011. "Probably the worst car we had all year. But we fought. My guys kept me positive in the car." Hornish looked as if he would overcome an eight-point deficit in the standings for much of the 200-lap race, but a lengthy caution late posed problems. NASCAR slowed the race for 12 laps -- tied for the longest caution of the year -- and it turned out to be a setback for Hornish. He dropped from third to ninth on the final restart with five laps to go, ending his chances at getting a title in what was his final race for Penske Racing. "I felt very sorry for Sam," Penske said. "And I have to say Ive never seen a race that was so important give away 15 or 16 laps before you have five laps to go. To me, that is very disappointing from the standpoint of the fans and (us) as competitors. When I think about it, it could have gone either way." NASCAR defended its decision to keep the race under caution. "When youre in situations like that, the most important thing is getting the track race ready," said Robin Pemberton, NASCARs vice-president of competition. "You know, you can look at, you can use your hindsight every chance that you want to, but in this particular time, we did the best we could to do, and it was more important to get the track ready." Keselowski got new tires during the final caution and used them to weave his way through traffic. He went from 11th to first in a two-lap span after the restart. And once hee was out front, no one was catching him.dddddddddddd Certainly not Dillon and Hornish, who were stuck on old tires because they had used their allotment. "I dont even remember what happened," Keselowski said. "We were going to win the race or I was going to bring back the steering wheel. With five laps to go, thats the only attitude that can win the race. Sometimes you make it through, sometimes you dont. Today we did. A lot of aggressive moves. "It almost felt like a video game passing 10 or 12 cars in two or three laps. Thats what youve got to be able to do to win at this level." Keselowski finished the season with seven victories, all in the last 10 of his 16 series starts. Rookie Kyle Larson finished second, followed Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth and Trevor Bayne. Hornish and Dillon had nothing for the leaders down the stretch. Having worn tires made passing difficult, if not impossible, in the final few laps. It didnt help Hornish that Kyle Busch spun his tires on the restart. "Couldnt get far enough ahead of those guys who had taken four tires," Hornish said. "Thats how it worked out for us tonight. We gave away points throughout the season, between the driver making mistakes, from everybody on this team making the car better. We win as a team, we lose as a team. Just needed a little bit more." Keselowskis victory wasnt the only thing to celebrate for Penske Racing. The team won the owners title for Roger Penske -- edging Joe Gibbs Racing by a point -- and landed Ford the manufacturers championship. Joey Logano finished sixth in the title-winning No. 22 car. "We had four goals coming in here: win the manufacturer championship for Ford, help Sam win the driver title, win the owners title and then win the race. We got three out of the four," Keselowski said. "Sam did a great job, even though he didnt get the fourth one done. He did an awesome job, and Im really proud of his effort." But the biggest celebration was saved for Dillon, whose fondest memory as a kid was seeing late NASCAR great Dale Earnhardt win the 1998 Daytona 500. Dillon knew all he had to do was stay close to Hornish. "I knew if I could see him and see where he was, then I wasnt going to give up all the way to end," Dillon said. "He was a great competitor. Sam, he brought his stuff tonight. We were able to pass one at the end, and it was a hell of a race." ' ' '