Coming off a disappointing season in which they missed the playoffs, the Waterloo Warriors men's hockey team is reloaded, refocused, and ready to prove that they belong right in the thick of the OUA's parity-rich West division.

The Warriors added 11 new faces this offseason, and they'll also welcome back a stable of returning veterans and a strong rookie class from a year ago. All told, the roster will be near 30 players, which is larger than in previous years. But Warriors head coach Brian Bourque thinks there might be a strength in numbers, as the program's standards both on and off the ice remain as high as ever.

"The plan wasn't necessarily to have a big roster, but we just made the decision that if we had good people who could help our program, we were going to take them," said Bourque. "One of the things about having a bigger roster is that there is more competition, and we think that will only make our team stronger on the ice."

Up front, the Warriors said goodbye to OUA second-team All-Star Dan Walker (Sudbury, ON), who signed an AHL deal with the Syracuse Crunch at the conclusion of last year. So Waterloo will rely on the veteran presence of Chase Campbell (Waterloo,ON), Tate Popple (Brandon,MB), and Jack Phibbs (Cayuga ,ON), as well as the contributions of two-way players like Brendan Bowie (Burlington,ON) and Alexander Gritz (Cranberry Township,PA). But there will also be lots of ice time available for newcomers such as Emmet Pierce (Napanee,ON), Jaden Goldie (Owen Sound,ON), and Jesse Fishman (Thornhill,ON), as the Warriors will look for offensive contributions from up and down the lineup.

"I think we understand that all the best teams are built with depth," said Bourque. "Goal scorers want to score, and we certainly have players that want to score and contribute offensively. That opportunity to be a goal-scorer will exist on our team."

On the back end, standout Nick King (Waterloo,ON) returns, and Simon Rose (Renfrew,ON) will look to follow up his strong rookie campaign. Rookies Sam McKinney (Burton,NB) and Payton Robinson (Burlington ,ON) will also compete for playing time on a deep and talented Waterloo blue line. But perhaps the biggest roster news on defence is the return of captain Connor Lovie (London,ON), who is back as a grad student for his fifth and final season.

"Connor is a great leader and the ultimate team player," said Bourque. "It's not only his consistency, but he plays and practices at a high level. It's great for our young core to see that. He plays in all scenarios for us, and he fits that top-D role."

In net, the Warriors added OHL veteran and Waterloo native Matt Onuska (Waterloo,ON) to share duties with veteran Daniel Murphy (Waterford,ON). Bourque said both goalies will get a chance to play, and both are known as hardworking and prepared netminders.

The Warriors will also look to one of their all-time greats to help return them to the playoffs, as former defenceman Kyle Sonnenburg joins the staff as a full-time associate coach. Sonnenburg was a multi-time OUA all-star and All-Canadian during his playing career with some of the winningest Warriors teams in program history.

For his part, Bourque doesn't set goals for wins or point totals at the start of a season, but the veteran coach is more than familiar with how competitive the OUA west division can be. So, for a program that has missed the playoffs in four of the past five seasons, their objective is quite simple: to make the postseason.

"Our goal is to get back into the playoffs," said Bourque. "We're a very motivated, determined group. We're also a proud group, and we think that will help us reach that goal."