A season that started with low expectations is now firmly back where it belongs, with the Colorado Raptors' play of late falling back into the realm of what hockey pundits projected after briefly sitting above .500 and flirting with home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Halfway through S49, the Raptors' play can be described as better than expected, with the core of young S50 rookies showing lots of promise and indicating a bright future for Colorado if they are able to retain the talent. However, talent takes time to develop, and with the Raptors having lost 3 in a row and 7 of their last 10, the growing pains are evident.

Goal scoring has been a problem for Colorado, as their 66 goals for are tied with Anaheim for lowest in the league (though the Outlaws have a game in hand on the Raptors). The Raptors' have allowed 74 goals for a differential of -8, and you get the feeling that if the team could start finding the back of the net with more regularity, they'd end up winning more of the close games. Their four overtime losses are second only to the Halifax Raiders' five.

Also, for whatever reason, the team seems to play much better on the road than at home. Maybe the rookies get nervous in front of the Colorado faithful, but the Raptors are 6-2-2 in their last 10 road games, compared to 3-7-0 in their last 10 home matches. This seems like a statistic that will even out over time, but it's still noteworthy.

That said, there is a lot to be excited about with regard to the future of the Dinos. Let's break it down.

Henrik Lekberg Osterman @Thatguy91 leads the Dinos' crop of talented rookies with 2 goals and 8 assists for 10 points in the first half of the season. Osterman is 10th in rookie scoring in the SMJHL, which isn't too shabby for a guy who was drafted in the 6th round, 52nd overall, in the most recent SMJHL Entry Draft.

(Shout out to Alexei Rykov @RaginCajun, who was taken two choices earlier by Montreal at 50th overall and currently leads all rookie scorers in the SMJHL with 17 points)

Osterman benefits from playing on Bo Kane's @NONAME wing. The second-year center and San Francisco Pride prospect has evolved into a true leader for the Raptors, taking the young players under his wing and leading by example with 10 goals and 9 assists for 19 points to date this season. While he has since cooled from his league-leading pace to start the season, Kane continues to be a force for the Raptors and an important leader on and off the ice.

One player that the Raptors would like to see more from is Hariken Urawa @uhh . The viral YouTube sensation from Japan has made strides in adapting to the pro game and is clearly on the right development path, but has been playing limited minutes on the fourth line. Still, even in limited time, Urawa has scored 5 goals and 2 assists, and he averages 1.86 points per every 60 minutes on the ice. Notably, he is also one of the eight players in the league with multiple game-tying goals (2).

Urawa was seen taking practice on the third line this morning, so an increase in ice time may be in his future. He was also spotted after practice doing one-on-one drills with Denver Wolfe @iRockstar, another Dinos veteran who has taken a shine to the young Japanese winger. With 19 points in 25 games, Wolfe is fifth in the league in scoring amongst defensemen, and is the veteran anchor on the Colorado blue line.

Lastly, it wouldn't be right to run a recap of the Raptors' season-to-date without mentioning Calogero Crudelli @jason97. Crudelli is having a monster year, tied with Mika Kandinsky @Mika_Kandinsky for second in league scoring with 28 points, one behind Gaspard Boone @Im_A_Boonana. Crudelli has already matched his S48 point total in half as many games, and is on pace for his first point-per-game season. The third-year junior seems poised to make the jump to the SHL if his development keeps up.