Discussions

On the eve of the start of this season, I thought it'd be nice to start a thread on peoples' expectations of this year's team.  
 
A lot has been made of the amount of scoring talent that has graduated, but as is normally the case in the WHL the story is usually more tied to who steps their game up.  
 
IMO the success of this year's team will ride on whether a number of the following are able to up the ante with the new opportunities they will be given.  
 
- Andrew Clark  
- Daniel Bartek  
- Jay Fehr  
- Tyler Dittmer  
 
In particular, I'd say three out of the four will need to become significant offensive contributors. Each is certainly capable of it, having shown flashes at various times. Based on his first half last year I'd say Clark is the surest bet.  
 
Rookies like Schenn, Calvert, King and Glennie all have excellent potential. I'm sure all will be given plenty of opportunity right away. I'd tend to put Nathan Green in this group as well as a player who has very good potential but may need a bit more experience first. If two are able to step up then this team will have the kind of depth it'll take to surprise a few people.  
 
With his work ethic, I would expect Jeffries to be a more important player as well. He'll have the opportunity to show whether he can chip in with offense, or if his value is more with his physical game. I haven't seen enough of Lowry, Cowan or Hale to be able to comment on them.  
 
That's not to de-emphasize defense, but I think we'll be fairly set with the number of veterans returning. Eyes will be on Aulie to see if he can take his game to the next level. Caligiuri settling into the number one role will also of course be critical.  
 
What kind of record does everyone thing we'll have this year?