Kingston Frontenacs hope coaching change conduit for realizing potential: OHL Burning Questions

Starting from the top of last season's standings, it is time for OHL Burning Questions. For your consideration, the Kingston Frontenacs.

Last season went like — Sam Bennett and his buds in black and gold beat who they were supposed to beat on the way to the best regular season ever seen at the Rogers K-Rock Centre, but fulfilled forecasts of not being built for the playoffs by failing to finish off Nick Ritchie and the Peterborough Petes. That hastened the departure of Todd Gill, with Paul McFarland becoming the O's youngest head coach.

2013-14, by the numbers — 39-23-3-3, .618 point pct., 298 GF/252 GA. Third playoff seed, Eastern Conference. Lost 4-3 to Peterborough in first round.

Drafted — C Sam Bennett (Calgary Flames, first round), D Roland McKeown (Los Angeles Kings, second), LW Juho Lammikko (Florida Panthers, third), C Ryan Kujawinski (New Jersey Devils, third), RW Spencer Watson (Kings, seventh).

2015 NHL Draft watch — LW Lawson Crouse is one of the top power-winger prospects at 6-foot-4 and 211 pounds.

1. Will this be the OHL's highest-scoring team east (north or west) of Erie?

The working assumption is that Bennett will return from the Calgary Flames some time in October to a team that retained more of its scoring punch than the only three higher-scoring teams from 2013-14. The Fronts return four 20-goal scorers and is looking forward to boasting a much improved Crouse (15 as a 16-year-old) and a potential full season from shifty overage Robert Polesello (18 in 48 games). Kingston stacks up as one of the deeper groups offensively in the conference, but Job One for the former Oshawa Generals assistant McFarland will be to impart more consistency and structure. It is okay to play fun-to-watch puck possession hockey and win 3-1 too, you know.

Regardless, Bennett has the ability to take over the play and go off on a regular basis. Kingston's power play was sixth in the league last year; new assistant John Goodwin will presumably be on top of maintaining the gain.

How that balanced approach develops will dictate whether the Limestone City lads finally have a playoff run.  

2. What can one surmise about the composition of the blueline?

The game is shifting from brawn and brutalism to skill, positioning and whatnot. That said, Kingston, for whatever it might be worth, is the lone OHL team without at least one defenceman who is listed at least 200 pounds. The departed (Evan McEneny, Michael Moffat and Mikko Vainonen) have been replaced by puck-moving types with newcomers Chad Duchense, Jarkko Parikka and Shawn Tessier.

It's certainly an interesting mix, bearing in mind that every OHL team will look different by January. The continuing maturation of McKeown, 18, would be essential to Kingston being smoother with getting pucks up to their talented forwards..

3. Will the 'tender tandem of Lucas Peressini, 19, and Jeremy Helvig, 17, reward the franchise's faith in them?

Gilmour kept his word from 12 months ago to not to deal for goaltending help, which is a change for a team that hasn't had a homegrown No. 1 goalie since 2004-05. Peressini (3.43 average, .902 save pct. across 25 games) actually had better rate stats than the graduated Matt Mahalak but and stirred up some arguments that he should become the No. 1 job. Kingston also has high hopes for the 6-foot-2 Helvig, who fills a lot of the net.

Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet.