Five things to watch as the season gets underway

New faces, familiar rivalries and a schedule that front-loads the toughest weekends. Here is what we will be keeping an eye on.

Every season starts the same way — optimism, fresh sheets of ice, and a schedule nobody has had a chance to complain about yet. This one is no different, except for the handful of storylines that were already building before the first puck dropped.

The first is depth. Rosters across the region turned over more than usual over the summer, and the clubs that spent their off-season quietly adding bodies rather than headlines are the ones most likely to still be standing in the spring.

The second is scheduling. A front-loaded calendar means the toughest stretch arrives before anyone has properly found their legs, which tends to reward the teams that treated the pre-season like it counted.

The rest comes down to the things that never change: goaltending, special teams, and whether the room holds together through the first losing streak. We will be at the rinks, the fields and the gyms all season to find out.