Calvin Spencer with Seattle (photo from scbroncos.com)

In a year of significant turnover the Swift Current Broncos are going to need some new answers up front.

The graduation or departures of veterans like Colby Cave, Coda Gordon, Carter Rigby and Jay Merkley leaves the team on the hunt for goals.

The Broncos were in the middle of the pack last season with 221 goals and will have to replace 122 of those goals thanks to an overhaul of their roster.

That's the natural progression of junior hockey as they now look to players like 2013 first round WHL bantam draft pick Tyler Steenbergen to make a leap from an 11 point 16-year-old season to a much bigger impact as a sophomore.

"I had a good summer," Steenbergen said. "Worked hard, got on the ice lots. I had to progress into this year."

"Just getting stronger in the gym lifting a lot more weights, getting my legs going, getting a bigger upper body so I can move in the corners a little bit better."

The transition to a full WHL schedule is sometimes a challenge for a 16-year-old used to playing fewer games against competition that's only in their age group.

"It was a learning curve my first year," Steenbergen said. "It's a lot bigger and a lot faster than midget hockey. Getting stronger is the biggest part. Now I'll be able to battle a little more in the corner, get the puck and hopefully get a few more points."

"My conditioning level is a lot better. I don't get as tired as I did last year. The whole pace is a lot better."

Steenbergen stepped up in the pre-season with 6 assists and several hit posts in 5 games. He looks like a player who is on the cusp of becoming a regular in the top six forwards.

"Steenbergen has been around so he knows the league and the game," said Broncos associate coach Ryan Smith. "He knows what his strength are. He's a fantastic skater, he spins off checks, he backchecks hard and I think his role on this team is really going to grow. He's really taken a step forward."

The Sylvan Lake, Alberta product isn't focusing on point as much as he is the process.

"Being consistent is the biggest thing," Steenbergen noted. "You can't get your head too swollen, you've just got to be consistent throughout the year and hopefully step into those major roles that we lost guys."

The talented young guys like Steenbergen and an influx of rookies are one avenue for additional scoring. All of the rookies still competing for roster spots played scoring roles on their teams at other levels and have the potential to do the same in the WHL. A guy like Owen Seidel who led the BC Major Midget league in scoring should be able to produce eventually, but how much can they expect from their rookies early?

That's where experienced veterans come in. Swift Current needs some veteran hands to add offence to their game. They could be a returning guy who has spent his whole career with the Broncos like Cavin Leth and Andreas Schumacher or a piece added by trade like Scott Feser and Calvin Spencer.

Spencer showed signs of doing that in the pre-season with 2 goals and 3 assists in 5 games.

"The puck just happened to get on my stick," Spencer said. "I'm starting to be more comfortable in the offensize zone too. It's all about experience in this league."

"There's a lot of opportunity for guys coming up here. We've just got to play hard and take advantage of the opportunities we can get."

The big Minnesotan doesn't bring the same level high end skill game of a NHL draft pick like Jake DeBrusk or Glenn Gawdin, but he can use his size and strength to overpower the opposition.

"The physical game is going to be a key part for us," Spencer said. "Just hit as much as we can, get on those defencemen and the more we do that the more chances our offence will have."

There are cycles of turnover in junior hockey that often leave fans questioning where their team's scoring will come from. Usually those questions get answered early in the season. The Broncos have some ideas and now will see if those players are ready for that additional responsibility.

The puck drops on the 50th WHL regular season Thursday night with Moose Jaw hosting Regina. Swift Current opens their season in Brandon on Friday before hosting the Wheat Kings on Saturday. You can hear every Broncos game live on The Eagle 94.1 FM.