Kingston Frontenacs look for playoff return: OHL Burning Questions

With the OHL season beginning next week, BTN is providing an early look at each team in reverse order of last season's standings.

Kingston Frontenacs

In 2011-12 — 19-41-3-5, 46 points; 10th in Eastern Conference.

Final Dynamic Dozen ranking — 19th OHL, 54th CHL.

Drafted — D Mikko Vainonen (Nashville Predators, fourth round).

Draft watch* — C Ryan Kujawinski is a potential first-rounder for next June; Ds Braydon Blight and Ryan Hutchinson also have a strong chance to be chosen.

1. Coach Todd Gill made the Fronts a tough team to play against in his first season, but can they win in pressure situations?

Gill and GM Doug Gilmour's rebuilding Frontenacs played giant-killers for about five weeks last winter, going 7-7-1-1 in their first 16 games after the trade deadline before playing out the string. That strong quarter hinted the promise of better days ahead at 1 The Tragically Hip Place, suggesting Gill's on-ice makeover was starting to take. Of course, it was a no-pressure situation since the playoffs were far, far out of reach.

There is potential here that just has to be converted in order for Kingston rejoin the post-season party, take off its coat and stay a while. It will take a while to convert into results, but the individual skill level is several notches higher than it was last season. Gilmour's bumper draft crop included projected stalwarts in wings Sam Bennett and Spencer Watson and defenders Roland McKeown and Dylan DiPerna, each of whom should play extensively as their rookie seasons unfold. Kujawinski, who can draw motivation from not being considered an A-list prospect under NHL Central Scouting's new strict criteria, even though other shinny scrutineers view him as a NHL first-rounder.

Kingston has long been infamous for putting patchwork ahead of patience. A playoff appearance in March is a good benchmark.

2. Did dearly departed goaltender Igor Bobkov cover up a lot of their D-zone ills last winter?

The goal frame-filling Anaheim Ducks farmhand saw a league-high 2,039 shots playing behind a young defence last season. Overager Mike Morrison, a part-time starter for the past two seasons in Peterborough and Kitchener, is an adequate replacement. But the crucial element for cutting down from a conference-worst 285 goals against will be the 18 skaters in front of Morrison. Newcomers Vainonen, DiPerna and McKeown are a good upgrade on the blueline. The 17-year-olds, Blight and Hutchinson, each offer size and surliness. The makings are there for Kingston to give up fewer quality chances, improve its zone time and not lean so much on its netminding, not that Morrison isn't capable.

3. Who will be the source(s) of that extra scoring they surely need?

It's probably by design that Kingston isn't deep in proven scoring, since their situation mandates that maturing youngsters need to play rather than wait their turn behind older holdovers. Kujawinski, who was a linemate of the much more ballyhooed NHL draft prospect Max Domi and Sam Reinhart for the summer version of Canada's under-18 team, should continue advancing. Finnish newcomer Henri Ikonen also seems to have a sweet set of hands. They do return their two leading scorers, 19-year-old Darcy Greenaway and overage captain Cody Alcock. Improving from 188 goals last season to the 225-230 range would be a relative windfall for Gill's gang.

(* First-time eligible players)

Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Contact him at neatesager@yahoo.ca and follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet.