The Komets open their 68th training camp Monday at Memorial Coliseum, and there's no shortage of storylines encircling the team with a new coach and almost all new players.

5 storylines

1. Shawn Szydlowski is fitter and hungrier after totaling 19 goals and 55 points in 59 games. By most players' standards, that would have been a good season. But the 2017-18 ECHL leading scorer and MVP wants more and the Komets need it, and leadership, from him.

2. The captaincy is up for grabs after the Komets parted ways with team-MVP Jamie Schaafsma. For the first time since 2013, there's no obvious person to don the 'C,' and the Komets need Szydlowski, Brady Shaw, A.J. Jenks, Jason Binkley and others to step up as leaders.

3. The defensive corps was a weak point, and the Komets brought back just Binkley and Chase Stewart. There are some solid prospects here, including Matt Brassard and Olivier Galipeau, but the blue line is as much about cohesiveness as potential.

4. Veteran players are usually a staple of the Komets, who have ridden an aged nucleus to success since dropping from the old International Hockey League to Double-A hockey in 1999. But they've used only two of their four veteran spots on Szydlowski and Jenks. Those spots are good to have in your pocket, but this is a divergence from the norm.

5. Competition will be fierce, not just to make the team with 27 players on the roster (and more likely to come) vying for about 20 spots. There's always at least one surprise cut during camp, but if the team sticks to what it's saying and gives spots only to players who earn it on the ice, there could be more than that this year.

4 points of concern

1. A whopping 14 players are in camp with Chicago and Ontario of the American Hockey League. Most will surely be cut and sent back to Fort Wayne. But if a player such as Shawn St-Amant sticks, it could throw a wrench in things.

2. Jake Kamrass' unexpected retirement last week robbed the Komets of one of their best assets – he was the team's Rookie of the Year – and he won't be easily replaced.

3. A.J. Jenks could be an amazing signing, if he stays healthy. He hasn't played more than 53 games since 2015-16. He believes it won't be an issue. The good news is it was a low-risk investment with two veteran spots vacant.

4. Goaltending is always the pivotal position in Fort Wayne, but we don't know who the No. 1 guy will be. Assuming one or two goalies come from the AHL, they'd better be the real deal. And they'd better be here most of the season. Barring that, Stephen Dhillon, a rookie, will have to amaze.

3 players to learn

1. Defenseman Matt Brassard defied logic by remaining a free agent until Tuesday. He had 109 points in 132 Ontario Hockey League games the last two seasons. A seventh-round draft pick of the Vancouver Canucks in 2017, and a valuable right-handed shot, he could star at this level.

2. Alan Lyszczarczyk has already generated buzz by shooting the puck so hard at a recent skate that it shattered the glass. He had 35 goals and 71 points in 54 OHL games last season.

3. Brett McKenzie, another seventh-round Canucks pick from 2016, has shown he can play at this level with 16 goals and 45 points in 62 games for Atlanta last season.

2 office issues

1. The affiliation with the Vegas Golden Knights was unfulfilling last season, when the Komets got only goalie Zach Fucale and, for six games, forward Matthew Weis. Year 2 is supposed to be better with Vegas' minor-league system more fully stocked. We'll believe it when we see it.

2. The Los Angeles Kings are the X-factor. Without an ECHL affiliate, they're expected to send players Fort Wayne's way. Who they'll be, or if they'll affect much, remains to be seen.

1 big question

Ben Boudreau has big shoes to fill, replacing a coach, Gary Graham, who made the playoffs all six of his seasons before being fired. We won't yet entirely know what Boudreau's coaching style will be before the Oct. 12 season opener against Kalamazoo. But camp will show how good a job he did recruiting. His roster is a little light on experience but high on potential.

– Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

jcohn@jg.net