When we last left the Furies I was swearing at them for their performance in the semi-finals against the Canadiennes. They begin the new season this Saturday against the Blades - will I be able to keep my reactions family-friendly, or are the Furies doomed to be the most frustrating of the three Toronto pro hockey teams this year?

The Toronto Furies won six of their 24 games in 2015-16, five of which were against the last place Boston Blades. They also held the dubious distinction of being the only team the Blades managed to beat last season. They scored fewer than two goals a game and the defence had a tendency to leave starter Christina Kessler high and dry.

Changes

Well, top scorer Natalie Spooner has lost both of her usual linemates from last season. As has been widely publicized, veteran forward Kori Cheverie has retired to become the first female assistant coach in CIS men's hockey, coaching the Ryerson Rams. Alyssa Baldin, drafted by the Furies in 2013, is also stepping back to focus on her career. She will continue to be involved in hockey as a coach, particularly with the Oakville Hornets. Cheverie and Baldin tied for second in team scoring in 2015-16 with 18 points each.

On defense, captain Michelle Bonello, a longtime veteran and two time All-Star is moving onto pursue a career in firefighting. Last year she led the Furies defenders in scoring with eight points and her 38 penalty minutes were good for third in the league. This leaves Shannon Moulson as the only defender on the active roster who has more than one season under her belt in the CWHL. So on one hand, we have a D corps that hasn’t worked together very long at all. On the other hand, defence wasn’t exactly the Furies’ strong suit last year.

Bonello and Baldin spoke to Joe Pack of SBN's Ice Garden about their decisions.

Meanwhile, three veterans are returning to the team after a year's absence. Jenelle Kohanchuk and Julie Allen are back from injuries and Sami Jo Small returns from maternity leave. Kohanchuk led the Furies in scoring in the 2014-15 season and is one of several Furies likely to be named to Team Canada for the Four Nations Cup. At 40, Small -- a co-founder of the CWHL — will likely not win the starting job back from Kessler, but having a second reliable back-up goalie is always a plus.

The first ten players selected by the Furies in the 2016 draft made the team, including top picks Renata Fast and Erin Ambrose, and former Buffalo Beaut Erin Zach. A total of 13 players on this year's 25 player roster were not with the team last season. That's a lot of turnover. The Furies could definitely do with some new blood, but I expect we'll be seeing a bit of an adjustment period early on.

Pre-season and predictions

The Furies dominated their two pre-season games against the York Lions (8-1) and the UOIT Ridgebacks (7-0). As in any league, pre-season results don’t mean anything, and CIS competition isn’t considered to be nearly as strong as CWHL competition but it’s always nice to have the team off to a good start. As a bonus, the new players contributed their fair share of the scoring!

To replace the outgoing vets, Natalie Spooner has been named captain, with Emily Fulton, Jenelle Kohanchuk and Shannon Moulson as her alternates.

Generally, the expectation is that the Furies will be a stronger team this year. With the dominant Inferno and Canadiennes ahead of them, they likely won't contend for top spot, but the race for third might be closer than the Thunder would like.

This weekend

October 15 8:00 pm and October 16 1:00 pm Mastercard Centre vs Boston Blades

How will they do this weekend? Well, the Blades are another team with a lot of new faces this season, including an all-new goalie tandem. Geneviève Lacasse left some big skates to fill, and the Furies have an opportunity to take advantage of a less experienced team.

Saturday is also the first of the CWHL 10th  season Heritage Games honouring team alumni and those who have contributed to the growth of their team and the league over the past 10 years. As a newer fan to the league, I'm looking forward to putting more faces to names, and learning more about the team's short history.

If you're not able to make it out this weekend, Saturday night's game will be available free on YouTube at the CWHL's channel starting at 7:45 pm Eastern.

Schedule

The Furies' full schedule is available on the CWHL website. Tickets are available at the door or online. This season, CWHL Live broadcasts have been reduced to 14, but will be available free on the league's YouTube Channel. In total, 4 Furies games will be broadcast on YouTube, with another two being aired nationally on Sportsnet.

CWHL Live (all times Eastern)
Saturday October 15 vs Boston Blades 8:00 pm

Saturday October 22 @ Montreal Canadiennes 5:30 pm

Saturday  October 29 vs Brampton Thunder 8:00 pm

Saturday  January 14 vs Brampton Thunder 8:00 pm

Sportsnet (all times Eastern)

Sunday    January 22 vs Calgary Inferno 12:30 pm (broadcast time 1:00 pm)

Saturday  February 4 @ Montreal Canadiennes 3:45 pm (broadcast time 5:30 pm)

Women's HockeyCanadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL)