National Sports

TORONTO — Matt Nichols hasn't circled July 31 and Oct. 17 on his calendar. That's when Toronto faces the Winnipeg Blue Bombers this season.

EDMONTON — The Edmonton Oilers signed defenceman Darnell Nurse to a two-year contract extension Monday. The 25-year-old native of Hamilton, Ont., has 24 points (four goals, 20 assists) and 44 penalty minutes over 55 games this season.

MONTREAL — The Montreal Alouettes will have cheerleaders on the field this upcoming CFL season.

NEW YORK — Winnipeg Jets left-winger Kyle Connor was named NHL second star of the week on Monday after leading the league with eight points over four games.

LeBron James is considering a return to the Olympics. James — a two-time gold medallist and three-time Olympian — is among 44 players announced by USA Basketball on Monday as finalists for the team that will play in the Tokyo Games this summer.

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats re-signed defensive end Ja'Gared Davis on Monday. The 29-year-old native of Crockett, Tex., had a career-high 13 sacks last season.

POTCHEFSTROOM, South Africa — Canadian bowler Akhil Kumar has been honoured for his performance at the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup. The 18-year-old from Toronto was named 12th man in the team of the tournament.

TORONTO — B.C. lightweight Tristan (Boondock) Connelly will face Brazil's Alex da Silva on April 11 in a UFC Fight Night card in Portland.

TORONTO — Canada has moved up one spot to No. 22 in the latest World Rugby men’s rankings. The Canadians, who fell one place in last week's rankings, are sandwiched between Hong Kong and Namibia.

Canadian pitcher Mike Soroka found success quickly in his first full season in the major leagues last year. But for the 22-year-old Calgary native, there was nothing sudden — or surprising — about how his 2019 panned out.