The puck drops for the 2015 World Junior Hockey Championship on Boxing Day and while its still 112 days away, Canadas challenge remains the same - figuring out which players may or not be available to Team Canada because of potential spots available on NHL rosters. The challenge was certainly there during the gold medal years, but the spoils of victory demonstrated the enormous depth of talent Team Canada could draw upon. Now going five years without a gold medal - not to mention two consecutive years without any medal at all, five countries winning gold in the past six years and this years tournament on home ice - Hockey Canadas challenge isnt any easier. And the expectations remain as high as ever. Starting today and at the start of each month going into the 2015 tournament, TSN will examine candidates for Team Canada leading up to the selection camp in December. A roster of 13 forwards, seven defencemen and two goaltenders will be tabled, along with other potential players who could challenge. And this list will certainly change as the season unfolds. The September edition allows us to look at all candidates prior to NHL training camp. For the initial roster, Jonathan Drouin is not listed because the belief that hell be in the NHL on Oct. 8 is very strong. Who are the other players Canada may be missing? As always, the players are ones that can have a significant impact on the team. Its one thing to understand who may be unavailable, but the challenge is actually identifying the players who can fill the void. First-overall NHL draft pick Aaron Ekblad will almost certainly be unavailable. Think back to the 2014 Mens Olympic Team when head coach Mike Babcock wanted balance between the left and right shots on the blue line. With the absence of Ekblad, that leaves one right shot defenceman - Madison Bowey - on the roster. Chris Bigras was on the World Junior Team last winter, but with the quality of players on the left side he may have to demonstrate a strong ability to play the right side. Jeremy Roy is a draft eligible player for next June - and is a very good player at that. His maturity is excellent and he may be able to challenge for a spot. Given that hes a right-handed shot, it could give this years team the balance theyre looking for. At forward, the potential for missing players is always at the top end of the lineup in terms of skill and impact. Possible returnees Sam Reinhart and Curtis Lazar lead the group and Max Domi was close to starting with the Phoenix Coyotes last season. Replacing Sam and Curtis is a significant challenge, because their impact has a wide-ranging effect. They can play all situations in the game, are versatile and can move throughout the lineup. Theyre also game changers and either one of them could be team captain. Meanwhile, Jake Virtanen is coming off shoulder surgery and his health may be a key factor in stepping into the void. He fits the bill of being a top-end talent with the skill to impact a game. The tricky part of the evaluation is identifying those players who can play outside their natural positions and contribute. Centre Robbi Fabbri had a fantastic playoff for the Guelph Storm and would be a leading candidate to step into a vacancy because hes shown a capability to play to his strengths - down the middle or on the wing. On the left side, Anthony Duclair is a tremendously talented player and when looking to replace a guy like Max Domi, it appears to be seamless with respect to his skill. Keep in mind that Sam Bennett and Connor McDavid have played alongside one another with great success, so this may be a natural fit. Brendan Lemieux brings a different element, but his ability to rise to the occasion in important games could see him fit in a different way - perhaps coming in from the bottom part of the roster as others push up. Canadas depth is strong, but replacing key performers is never easy. The expectations arent lower, but the task for the Team Canadas personnel is to form a team that meets those expectations - regardless of whos available or not. Stitched Seattle Seahawks Jerseys .Y. -- As if the worst start in franchise history isnt bad enough, Buffalo Sabres President Ted Black braced his teams win-starved fans for potentially more tough times. Custom Seahawks Jerseys . Dumont, a fifth round draft pick of the Canadiens in 2009, has four assists and 20 penalty minutes in 12 games with the Bulldogs this season. The 23-year-old split last season between Hamilton and Montreal, recording 16 goals and 15 assists in 55 regular season games with the Bulldogs. http://www.cheapseahawks.com/ . Mohamed Diame put West Ham ahead in the 47th minute before goals by substitutes Carlton Cole and Joe Cole condemned Fulham to a fifth straight defeat, keeping the visitors in the bottom three. Seattle Seahawks Jerseys China . Mission accomplished. Now the Royals will take the field on Saturday with a World Series lead for the first time in team history when they play Game 4 of the Fall Classic against the Giants at AT&T Park. Cheap Seattle Seahawks Jerseys Online . A larger-than-life personality known for his intimidating style in the 18-yard box, Schmeichels career spanned some 20 years -- including a memorable tenure at Manchester United.Green Bay, WI (SportsNetwork.com) - Aaron Rodgers led the Green Bay Packers into the NFC title game with two near-flawless drives. As for Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys? Their season is over after a replay reversal near the end of the game took away a Dez Bryant catch at the goal line. Rodgers completed 11 of 14 passes for 173 yards on two touchdown drives in the third and fourth quarter as Green Bay scored 13 unanswered points for a 26-21 win over the Cowboys in a divisional playoff game Sunday at Lambeau Field. Green Bay took its first lead since 7-0 when Rodgers zipped a pass through two defenders and hit tight end Richard Rodgers for a 13-yard touchdown with 9:10 remaining. On 4th-and-2, Bryant went up for Romos deep pass down the left sideline at the other end of the field and was ruled to have made a 31-yard catch at the Green Bay 1 after snatching the ball out of the air above cornerback Sam Shields. The Packers challenged the call and officials eventually said Bryant, who was cupping the ball against his left forearm as it hit the field and popped up, didnt complete the catch. The ruling came a week after officials picked up a pass interference flag on a controversial non-call that helped Dallas beat Detroit in the wild-card round. The Packers will play in the NFC championship game for the first time since beating Chicago after the 2010 season on the way to their fourth Super Bowl title. They will travel to Seattle to play the reigning Super Bowl-champion Seahawks next Sunday in a meeting of the top two seeds in the conference.. Playing on an injured left calf, Rodgers passed for 316 yards and three scores and Eddie Lacy rushed 19 times for 101 yards for the NFC North champs. Romo threw for 191 yards and two touchdowns for the NFC East-champion Cowboys and NFL rushing leader DeMarco Murray had 25 carries for 123 yards and a touchdown. It was the first postseason game between the teams at Lambeau Field since the Packers won the 1966 NFL championship game, known as the Ice Bowl because it was played in sub-zero temperatures. Rodgers go-ahead throw was a frozen rope to the tight end Rodgers, who made the catch in the back of the end zone between defensive backs Sterling Moore and J.J. Wilcox. Bryant, who has three inches on the 5-foot-11 Shields, used every bit of his height advantage to make a sensational leaping grab that appeared -- if only for several minutes -- to have potentially saved the Cowboys season. Bryant was stunned when the call was reversed, putting his hands on the side of his head. It mirrored a call that negated a winning touchdown catch for Detroits Calvin Johnson in the 2010 season opener against Chicago. Both players were ruled to not have maintained possession through the end of the play. We know the feeling, the Lions tweeted after the game, linking to a video of the Johnson play. New York Giants rookie wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who has become famous for his gasp-inducing grabs, wondered online how it wasnt a catch. According to Rule 8, Section 1, Article 3 of the NFL rulebook, If a player gooes to the ground in the act of catching a pass (with or without contact by an opponent), he must maintain control of the ball throughout the process of contacting the ground, whether in the field of play or the end zone.dddddddddddd. If he loses control of the ball, and the ball touches the ground before he regains control, the pass is incomplete. If he regains control prior to the ball touching the ground, the pass is complete. Green Bay picked up two first downs on the ensuing drive to kill the rest of the clock, including a diving 12-yard grab by Randall Cobb on 3rd-and-11 on a pass that was tipped at the line. Rodgers also completed touchdown passes to Andrew Quarless for a 7-0 lead in the first quarter and to Davante Adams, who slipped past Moore and Wilcox for a 46-yard catch-and-run near the end of the third quarter to get Green Bay within 21-20. The Packers are 8-1 in their last nine games and finished 9-0 at home this season. The third-seeded Cowboys, who made the playoffs for the first time since 2009, lost for the first time in nine road games this season. They were trying to make the NFC title game for the first time since beating the Packers 38-27 in January 1996 on the way to winning the last of their five Super Bowl titles. Bryant, the NFLs leader in touchdown receptions during the regular season, was quiet for much of the game and ended with three receptions for 38 yards. Romo had touchdown throws to fullback Tyler Clutts and Terrance Williams in the first half, helping Dallas take a 14-10 lead into intermission. Clutts scored his first career touchdown after a pass interference penalty took the Cowboys to the 1-yard line, and Williams scored for the third time in the playoffs on a 38-yard reception that came after Rodgers fumbled on a hit by defensive end Jeremy Mincey. Packers linebacker Julius Peppers might have saved a Dallas touchdown when he reached out to strip Murray near midfield early in the third quarter, giving Green Bay the ball near midfield. But the Packers settled for Mason Crosbys 30-yard field goal after lineman T.J. Lang was penalized for unnecessary roughness for shoving Nick Hayden at the end of a play, which sparked a scuffle between the teams. Romo came up limping after a hit by Packers safety Micah Hyde in the third quarter and appeared to be favoring his left knee. Dallas scored on the drive, with Murrays 26-yard run setting up his 1-yard touchdown to make it 21-13. Game Notes Green Bay snapped a four-game losing streak to Dallas in the postseason ... The Cowboys appeared in their 60th postseason game, extending their NFL record. They have a league-record 34 wins ... The Packers improved to 31-19 in the postseason ... Clutts has just 10 career receptions in 56 career regular season games ... Cowboys linebacker Rolando McClain left the game in the first half and didnt return because of concussion-like symptoms ... It was the first playoff game in NFL history with a team that went 8-0 at home hosting a team that went 8-0 on the road. 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