It took 11 games for the Utica Comets to pick up their first win last season, but with some added depth and a lot of returning players, the Comets appear on track already this year as they were able to pick up two points in their very first game of the 2014.15 season as they took home three of a possible four points this past weekend in Toronto.

As nice as it was to start the season off on a high note, there are still question marks surrounding the team as they get set to head to Texas this coming weekend.

How will first round picks Brendan Gaunce and Hunter Shinkaruk do in their first pro season?

Shinkaruk posted 235 points in 211 career WHL games for the Medicine Hat Tigers. It’s no secret that he is a pure-offensive talent, but time will tell if there are growing pains as he transitions into his first season of pro hockey, playing against bigger, older players on a nightly basis.

“He is a highly skilled guy and thinks the game really well from the offensive side of the puck,” said Comets head coach, Travis Green. “Watching Hunter over the past 10 days or so, I like what I see so far. I like his offensive instincts and I like his willingness to compete; he plays with a lot of energy. For me, Hunter needs to bring that competitive nature to the ice all the time, not just to score.”

As for Gaunce, he was no stranger to putting up points in the OHL (236 in 258), but he finds himself on the wing to start his pro career, a position he played at times in Belleville and Erie. The 6-foot-2, 216-pounder has long been praised as a smart defensive player, but Green wants him to focus on other parts of his game, especially using that large frame of his.

“I like how he thinks the game,” said Green. “We put him on the wing because I want him to play a game that really forces him to use his size right now and not worry so much about defending in his own zone. This will be a big step for him, coming out of junior where he played a lot of minutes. We are going to push him to play at a high pace, use his body, get in on the forecheck and be hard to play against.”