Owen Sound Attack leaning on last line of defence: OHL Burning Questions

Working down from the top of last season's standings, it is time for OHL Burning Questions. For your consideration, the Owen Sound Attack.

Last season went like — Owen Sound was Owen Sound, a bit spartan offensively but tough to take two points from, thanks in large part to Brandon Hope emerging as the No. 1 goalie. Those elements might have more currency within a somewhat deflated conference.

2013-14, by the numbers — 31-29-3-5, .515 point pct., 202 GF/232 GA. Seventh, Western Conference. Lost 4-1 to Sault Ste. Marie in first round.

Drafted — D Chris Bigras (Colorado Avalanche, second round), C Zach Nastasiuk (Detroit Red Wings, second), C Kyle Platzer (Edmonton Oilers, fourth), RW Jaden Lindo (Pittsburgh Penguins, sixth).

2015 NHL Draft watch — G Michael McNiven, D Thomas Schemitsch, C Ethan Szypula and D Connor Walters are each on NHL Central Scouting's preliminary list.

1. What are the chances coach Greg Ireland's gang will punch above its weight?

Decent to outstanding. The Bayshore boys, who represent a market that is the smallest in the league by a factor of two, seem to have a proven quality for being greater than the sum of their parts. Two seasons ago, the '12-13 iteration of Attack scored 60 and 46 fewer goals than the Western Conference divisional winners, Plymouth and London, yet were a 94-point team.

That might be replicable with leaders such as Nastasiuk and the overage trio of centre Holden Cook, wing Daniel Milne and goalie Brandon Hope serving as pillars for this season. Platzer, who had 13 goals and 19 points over 27 games after coming northwest in the Gemel Smith trade with London, will at long last have the opportunity to be a primary scoring option.

The Attack might end up being a 3.5 goals a night team, but that might pass muster for a group built around Hope (2.89 average, .916 save percentage over 54 games) and the Bigras-bolstered back end. The Attack sometimes get downplayed before the season — off the 400-series highway grid, outta mind, eh? — but they are usually heard from in the long run.

2. What cherry-picked distinction sums up how being based Owen Sound requires looking for the unconventional?

The Attack can claim to have the shortest and tallest player on an OHL roster thanks to the additions of Petrus Palmu and Jarett Meyer. The former, a Finnish left wing, is listed at 5-foot-6 and 172 pounds, but Palmu comes advertised as the kind of "offensive, skilled, puck-control player" that the Attack had a dearth of last season. The 6-foot-9, 240-pound Meyer, who hails from Michael Jordan's home state, moved to Long Island, N.Y., last season and sometimes spent six hours a day travelling back and forth to practices with the New Jersey Rockets of the Eastern Hockey League.

Time will tell what the two can contribute right away, but each of the 17-year-olds fits into two niches the Attack will need to fill. After moving Smith and Cameron Brace last season, the Attack will need someone to supply natural offence. Meantime, their size on defence could pose a problem.

3. Will Lindo prove to be a draft steal for the Penguins?

The rugged right wing suffered a left knee injury on Feb. 15 that required surgery, which contributed to him playing only 40 games. Lindo was back to full health in time for the NHL combine, but the lack of exposure led to his stock dropping far enough that some might have wondered if he was better off becoming a re-entry player. The Penguins, though, took the plunge at No. 173 overall and could look all the more prescient for it if Lindo makes good at the promise he showed before the injury. The 18-year-old's physicality does help with Owen Sound gaining zone time.

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