NORTH ANDOVER — Merrimack lost 14 games by one goal last season — the most in the nation.
In order for the Warriors to turn some of those losses into wins, Merrimack needs to find itself some goal scorers.
Offense has always been a struggle for the Warriors, who averaged 2.19 goals per game in Hockey East play last season, second-worst in the league.
A major key is if Stephane Da Costa of France is eligible. He'd probably be the top player on the team but he's still waiting to be cleared by the NCAA clearinghouse.
He was the fourth leading scorer in the USHL, the country's top junior league.
After teams 1-4 in Hockey East, the bottom five spots are relatively wide open. Question marks surround Northeastern, UMass, Maine and Providence.
The Huskies need to find a replacement for All-Hockey-East goalie Brad Thiessen, who backstopped Northeastern into the NCAA tournament last season before signing with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the offseason.
UMass and Maine each need to find depth past the top line and Providence had one of the worst defenses in the country last season.
Forwards: Barton, Todd are key
The Warriors need a handful of players to emerge as goal scorers. No returning player notched double-digit goals last season but junior co-captain Chris Barton (9) was close.
Barton, an Alberta native, will need to take on a bigger role as will teammate Jesse Todd, who finished with seven goals and 23 points as a freshman last season. The 6-foot-2 forward was invited to the Edmonton Oilers prospect camp this past summer.
The loss of Rob Ricci is a significant one but the void could leave opportunity for playmaking junior center Joe Cucci (28 points in 48 career games).
One of the biggest offensive improvements has to come from senior J.C. Robitaille, who scored 10 goals as a sophomore, but that dropped to just three tallies last season.
Former BC High forward John Heffernan, a freshman who played juniors last year, brings a lot of raw skill and Rob Morton (36 goals led the EJHL last season) has proven he can score.
Defense: Warriors add huge frosh
Kyle Bigos is a big deal.
Literally.
Standing at 6-foot-5 and weighing nearly 240 pounds, he'll be a force for the Warriors, despite only being a freshman. Bigos was drafted in the fourth round by the Edmonton Oilers this summer and won a Royal Bank Cup (Canada's junior hockey national championship) playing for the Vernon Vipers last season.
Bigos, whose father was a minor league baseball player for the Red Sox organization, hails from Upland, Calif., and for his size, is surprisingly fleet on his skates.
Fraser Allan is healthy again, undergoing offseason knee surgery after playing his first two years with a knee in need of repair.
Returning Hockey East All-Rookie selection Karl Stollery will anchor the power play after leading all defenders in scoring last season with 16 points.
Pat Bowen has emerged as one of the top all-around defensemen in the league.
Goaltending: May have Hockey East's top 1-2 punch
Joe Cannata will likely enter the season as the starter, but don't be surprised if senior Andrew Braithwaite pushes for time. Braithwaite was stellar as a sophomore (2.38 GAA, .922 save percentage) before slipping as a junior (3.08, .892) while battling a nagging ankle injury.
It is arguably the best one-two combination in Hockey East.
Freshman Nick Drew of Andover joins the rotation after a year at Tilton.
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