The University of Toronto Varsity Blues men's hockey team opens their 2015-16 this Friday, October 9 as they host the UQTR Patriotes at Varsity Arena.
 
Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m. Advance tickets are on sale here. The game will also be streamed live on OUA.tv.


 
The Blues enter the season filled with optimism after an OUA West semifinal appearance last year, which included a first-round playoff victory over cross-town rivals Ryerson Rams.
 
"You sometimes get nervous about the graduation of 10 players but we are really happy with the young guys we've brought in and more importantly with the development of the guys returning," said Varsity Blues head coach Darren Lowe. "Our goal this year, like every year, is to be a playoff team and try to be better than we were last year. I think we have the personnel to get past that second round and get ourselves in a position to win a championship."
 
Despite losing two of their top three forwards in Jeff Brown and Michael Markovic, U of T returns a strong core of offensive forwards. Returning captain Andrew Doyle is back to lead the squad and will look to fifth-year forward Tyler Liukkonen, who led the Blues with 20 assists last season, to steer a young group of forwards this season.
 
Fourth-year standouts Christian Finch and Patrick Marsh, as well as third-year forward Russell Turner will be relied upon for their offensive contribution after combining for 52 points in the 2014-15 season.
 
The Blues also boast a group of third-year forwards in Dean Klomp, Connor Cleverley and Casey Knight who look to make the jump into veteran play. U of T welcomes rookie standouts Mathew Campagna from the Plymouth Whalers, Aidan Wallance from the Memorial Cup champion Oshawa Generals, Ryan Kirkup of the Whitby Fury as well as Max Lindsay of the Oakville Blades.
 
On the backend the defensive core is set to be led by Winnipeg, Manitoba native Dylan Heide. Heide led all U of T defencemen last season with 18 points, playing in all 27 regular season games.
 
The Blues will also look to a pair of third-year players, Corey Jackson and Charlie Connell, to help bolster Toronto's young blue line. Toronto adds first-year defencemen Austin Broadhurst of the Oakville Blades, Josh Hanson of the Portland Winterhawks and Matt Heffernan of the Stouffville Spirit in 2015-16.
 
Toronto also boasts a solid trio between the pipes. Returning to the squad are fifth-year Brett Willows and third-year Michael Nishi who split time last season, with Nishi appearing in 13 regular season games and Willows appearing in 10. They are joined by newcomer Andrew Hunt who will challenge the U of T veterans after recently playing for Borlange HF and Hofors HC in the Swedish league.