After making it all the way to the finals only to fall short, the Québec City Citadelles have a fresh batch of owlets ready and eager to help the team make another run. Whether our sheer enthusiasm will translate into success remains to be seen, but the optimism is running high in the locker room. No team can make a case for their strength as a group without starting first between the goalposts: Caleb Hayden is stepping up as the team's starting goaltender this year. And while he's got some pretty big shoes/skates to fill, it didn't take very many games at all this preseason for me to have 100% faith in him. My hope is that we can all make the job easier for him by elevating our performances this year. I know for a fact that Sophie Bordeleau is going to lead the way in that respect. Watching her from the bench has made me feel like I got drafted a year or three too early, which kind of sounds terrible, but I don't see any downside to learning from the best. Along with our solid group of returning players, rookie right winger Seamus Weaver came streaking out of the tunnel and rocked the preseason. Assuming he keeps the momentum going, he is definitely a key piece going forward this season. I also plan on being pretty awesome, fingers crossed. No matter what, it's going to be a hoot.