With some new faces, a new number one goalie, a new number one line and a new system, this season should be an interesting one for the Whitehorse Mustangs midget AA hockey team.

Gone are the veterans from last year, with just three third-year midgets listed on this year's roster. Gone are several key offensive components, including Chris Gleason and Drew Pettitt. And gone is last year's number one netminder, Ian Perrier.

One thing remains the same, however, and that's optimism.

After a promising start last season, which included a tournament championship in Abbotsford and a second-place finish at an international event in Richmond, the Mustangs were considered a contender at the AA provincial championships, which were held in Whitehorse in March.

Unfortunately, they didn't get the performances or results they had hoped for, finishing ninth with a 0-4 record.

But even as they stood outside the dressing room after their last loss at provincials, the Mustangs swallowed their disappointment and looked toward what they felt was a bright future.

A summer off doesn't seem to have changed that attitude in the slightest.

'Last year, we received a little bit of flack for the amount of guys we kept (on the roster),' said coach Mike Young, following a practice Monday evening. 'But now we're hoping that will pay off. Everyone coming in already knows what to expect.'

'We've got a lot of rookies,' admitted coach Joe Martin. 'But I think the second and third year guys are so focused, our first years can't help but be swallowed up by it.'

The majority of the midget squad spent the off-season working with a personal trainer, as well as skating twice a week in the summer hockey league. Martin said it certainly seems to have paid off.

'They're in really good shape (to start the season),' he stated. 'We've had a lot of commitment this year.

'These guys are going to be playing more hockey this year than they ever have, so they have no choice but to get in shape.'

Young agreed conditioning could be an advantage for the Mustangs, as they get set for their first tournament of the season next month. He believes this year's team is better fitness-wise than the previous crew.

As for the other areas, there's no doubt the Mustangs have talent, but realistically, they lost a lot of scoring power in Gleason and Pettitt, as well as a good goalie in Perrier.

'We're really hoping to be a bit more defensive this year,' admitted Young. 'We have to be tighter in the defensive end if we want to have success.

'If we went in trying to play the same style as last year ... those players would be a huge loss. But with better d-zone coverage, hopefully we won't need as many goals.'

The players acknowledged the loss of Pettitt, who will be playing AAA hockey in Prince George this season, along with Perrier, is tough. They'll also miss Evan Campbell, who decided to skate for the Fort St. John AAA squad.

'It's always going to have a big impact (losing top players),' said Martin. 'Compare it to the WHL, when a team loses their top line to the NHL.

'But I think our top line is going to be just as good as last year.'

One of the players who will be counted on to produce offensively is Lowell Johnston, who's up for the challenge.

'I think our team is going to do fairly well this year,' said Johnston. 'We're all pretty fast, skilled and we've played together before.'

Rookie Joe Densmore said he likes the look of the team so far, agreeing the hard hitting in midget will certainly be an adjustment for him, especially with his size.

But he's prepared to learn from the veterans, especially third-year players Nick Mauro, Taylor Pasloski and Kaleb Dawe, who 'have been there and know what they're talking about.'

As for goaltending, 'Mitchell (Heynen) has certainly come along quite a bit,' said Densmore.

The coaches agreed Heynen and first-year Scott Smeeton are more than capable of taking over the job in net. Young said he sees a lot of potential with Heynen and Smeeton, and that the starting job is basically up for grabs.

'We're just hoping they build off each other and challenge each other all year.'

On defence, the only player missing from last year is Josh Craven, so Martin expects that area to be strong.

'Kaleb (Dawe) is a great defenceman. He sees things before they happen. His mind set is years past midget hockey.

'Then we have Nick Swizdaryk, Alex McDougall, Jeff Gartshore, Drew O'Connor and Nick Mauro. And Kevin Pike is back in this year. We have a good, strong defence.'

The Mustangs were also hoping to have rookie defenceman Lawrence Brennan in the lineup this season, but he opted to move to Ontario, where he's attending a sports school. Brennan has been billed as an excellent defenceman with tons of potential.

It's still possible he could represent the Yukon at the Canada Winter Games in February, where Pettitt, Campbell and Perrier will also likely skate with their former teammates.

For now, the Mustangs will prepare for their first tournament of the season, a AAA midget tournament in Kamloops October 4.

They could be without forward Robbie Stuckey when the puck drops, after he broke a knuckle in a Canada Games team tryout last week.

'Probably our biggest goal is team bonding and getting unity out on the ice,' said Young. 'At this point, winning is not really an objective, although we'll certainly try our hardest.'

All of the tournaments Whitehorse attends this year will be AAA calibre, even though they saw so much success at the AA level last season.

Young said the main reason for the decision, is AAA is much closer to the level of play the Yukoners will experience at the Canada Games, so they want to be better prepared.

'We found some of the AA tournaments last year, it was a lot rougher hockey,' he added. 'It just wasn't the kind of hockey we wanted to be involved in. If it's tougher to win, at least it's more organized.'

The Mustangs will once again be led by Mauro as captain this year while Kaleb Dawe and Ted Stephens will serve as alternate captains. The third A will be rotated between Johnston and Kane Dawe.

The current roster sits at 23 players, so two more players will need to be cut after the first tournament next month.

The coaches plan to carry 19 players on the roster for the season including the two goalies.

Two more will remain with the squad as red shirts, which means they will practice but only go on trips if there's an injury.