Sudbury Wolves on cusp of Eastern Conference contention: OHL Burning Questions

The Ontario Hockey League regular season begins this week. They play one of these every winter? Man, it never ends. With the days getting shorter and the season getting nearer, BTN is taking an early look at each team in reverse order of last season's standings.

Sudbury Wolves

In 2012-13 — 29-27-5-7. 515 point pct., 209 GF/227 GA. Fifth, Eastern Conference. Lost 4-0 to Belleville in conference semifinal.

Final Dynamic Dozen ranking — 14th OHL, 37th CHL.

Drafted — RW Nick Baptiste (Buffalo Sabres, third round), C-LW Connor Crisp (Montreal Canadiens, third), LW Dominik Kubalik (Los Angeles Kings, seventh).

2014 NHL draft watch — C Matt Schmalz, at 6-foot-6, was the main return in last season's Frank Corrado trade with Kitchener.

1. What might be the missing puzzle piece for a team with aspirations of contending in the East?

The Wolves added 22-goal scorer Crisp to a crew that includes five of their top seven point-getters from a year ago. Mat Campagna and Nate Pancel make for a perfectly cromulent pair of pivots. The Buffalo Sabres no doubt would like to see the underrated Baptiste progress the same way that current farmhand Marcus Foligno did over his final two years of junior from 2009 through '11. The namesake 18-year-old imports, Kubalik and Dominik Kahun, should be more in their comfort zone as they head into their second tour through the league. It's a pretty good forward group, especially if one or two others help give new coach Paul Fixter a solid third line.

Sudbury might ultimately need to shore up its blueline to make a run. The robust overage Kevin Raine could be the shutdown defender if/when he returns from the Toronto Maple Leafs; Raine did a good job cutting down his PIMs after a midseason arrival from the London Knights. A full season from the usually effective but often injured Jeff Corbett, who's entering his age-19 season, would be a good thing. Moreover, Sudbury, which had the OHL's fifth-best power play a year ago, needs someone to move the puck as well as Corrado and fellow grad Charlie Dodero did over the course of '12-13.

2. How will the absence of 19-year-old forward Brody Silk alter their outlook?

Silk, a big-bodied winger, did a lot of grunt work during the late-season push for points, especially after Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Josh Leivo was packed off to Kitchener. Unfortunately for Sudbury, Silk will miss at least four months after having shoulder surgery. Sudbury GM Blaine Smith surely knew that was possible when he traded for the rangy, 6-foot-4 Crisp earlier this month. Ultimately, Sudbury will need some beef or grit or whatever euphemism you prefer to buttress their skill. That could also factor into whether 220-pound winger Chad Thibodeau remains as one of the overages.

3. Will Franky Palazzese make overage goalie history?

Only one 20-year-old has ever been selected as the league's top netminder. The OHL bestows the Leo Lalonde Memorial Trophy on its top overage player, so perhaps that gives the coaches and GMs an 'something for everyone' impulse that dissuades them from voting for an overage as top goalie.

Be that as it may, Palazzese will come in for a lot of credit if the Wolves are in contention. The 6-foot-1 stopper had a 2.61 average and .910 save percentage across 43 games for the Kitcheners and Sudburys last season. The storyline would practically write itself if he and the Wolves went up against Kingston, his original OHL team, sometime in April.

Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet. Please address any questions, comments or concerns to btnblog@yahoo.ca.