The Hitmen season starts tonight in Cranbrook vs the defending champs. The Ice played in Red Deer last night and lost in a shootout.

Here is a Hitmen preview from whl.ca:
Calgary Hitmen

General Manager: Kelly Kisio

Head Coach: Mike Williamson

2011 pre-season: 5-1-0-0, 10pts

2010-11 Record: 20-47-3-2, 45pts (6th in Central Div., 12th in Eastern Conf.) GF: 171 GA: 271

2010-11 Power Play / Penalty Killing ranking: PP: 15.8% (20th); PK: 79.9% (10th)

2011 Playoffs: Did not qualify

2010-11 Top Scorers:

Kris Foucault 65gp-25g-23a-48pts

Justin Kirsch 66gp-25g-17a-42pts

Brooks Macek 63gp-13g-28a-41pts

Up Front: The lowest scoring team in the WHL last season, the Hitmen will have to generate much more offense this season if they are to get themselves back into the post-season. Fortunately, they return six of their top seven scorers from last season, and they will all be looking to rebound from a difficult 2010-11 season. 19-year-old Justin Kirsch is back after sharing the team lead with 25 goals last year. Also back is playmaker Brooks Macek, who has proven offensive skills in the WHL. Veterans Jimmy Bubnick and Cody Sylvester will be looking to bounce back from trying seasons last year, while off-season acquisition Brady Brassart will also greatly bolster the offense. If Swedish star Victor Rask ends up in Calgary, he will make a huge impact offensively for the Hitmen.

On The Blue Line: The Hitmen return six defensemen from last year’s roster, led by veteran Ben Wilson. The 20-year-old Calgarian will head up what is a younger but talented defense corps. 19-year-old Spencer Humphries and 18-year-olds Peter Kosterman, Jaynen Rissling and Alex Roach all bring plenty of size to the Hitmen blue line. 17-year-old Keaton Lubin should see more responsibility this season after getting into 36 games as a rookie last year. Although their penalty killing was strong last season, the Hitmen will need to improve their 20th-ranked power play if they are to move up the standings. More offense from their defense corps would be beneficial in improving the man advantage.

Goaltending: The battle for the starting job in Calgary’s net is heated. Veterans Mike Snider and Brandon Glover split the majority of the workload last year. However, the Hitmen acquired 17-year-old Chris Driedger from Tri-Cities during the off-season to push the incumbents for a roster spot. Driedger showed great potential as Drew Owsley’s back-up last year.

Player to Watch: Brady Brassart

The Hitmen were searching for offense after finishing 22nd in the WHL in goals-for last season. They found scoring help when they acquired 18-year-old Brady Brassart from Spokane during the off-season. A former second-round pick of the Chiefs in 2008, Brassart scored eight goals and 32 points for the Chiefs last season as a 17-year-old. Primarily a playmaker, Brassart is a good skater with strong offensive instincts. Already a strong puck distributor and hard worker, Brassart can also shoot the puck well, making him a dependable forward, overall.

Read the entire article here.