Just like that, the puck is dropping or about to drop on regular seasons across the country. With that comes a fresh pool of talent to shake up predictions, and of course some great new content in print and online from yours truly.

One series that’s been a long time coming is our new Ask A Coach column, where we’ll feature Q&As and videos from coaches at the top of their game. The Coaches Site is working with us to connect our readers to these resources and we look forward to bringing some great advice to players, parents and coaches.

Another new regular feature in the works is our First Line Report, where we’re tapping into some of the positive things happening at the community level that are causing ripple effects in Canadian hockey. If you have a great initiative or event happening this season, reach out to us so we can give it the attention it deserves. Stay tuned for this series, coming very soon in print and online.

We’re also excited to be bringing back HN: Crave, a fun hot spot for all the latest and best in hockey gear, gadgets, apps and more. We’ll be launching HN: Crave in early October with a few pretty impressive products. Don’t miss it.

Of course, October also means we get access to the long-awaited ISS Hockey lists of top prospects for the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. 

This past season, we got to see two of our former HockeyNow Minor Hockey Players of the Year get picked up early in the draft. Gabe Vilardi, our 2015 Ontario winner went 11th to the LA Kings, who also grabbed our 2014 Alberta winner Jaret Anderson-Dolan with their 41st pick.

Early predictions point to our 2016 Ontario winner Owen Lalonde being a favourite for the 2018 draft, with ISS Hockey placing him in their top 30. Of course, we’re still a long way off from hearing Bettman welcome players and teams to the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas on June 22. A lot will happen between now and then and we’ll be watching our Canadian prospects closely – and bringing you everything you need to know as it happens.

There’s tons of hockey to be played before then and we also have the 2018 Winter Olympics to look forward to, with the women’s team slated to take part in dozens of games in preparation for the big event. Look for more on that in this issue and in regular coverage online.

These are just a few of the things we have up our sleeve this year. As always, thanks for reading and make sure to sign up for our newsletter, follow us on Twitter and Facebook and check us out online so you catch these and other features coming down the pipe.