FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO): The Fort Wayne Komets are getting ready for their 67th season in Fort Wayne with a training camp that started Monday and lasts through next week.

Last season ended with the team just one game shy of the Kelly Cup Finals, and Coach Gary Graham tells WOWO News they’ll have some unique challenges ahead this season if they want to get back to the Conference Finals:

“The division is lined up differently,” Graham says. “Quad City is out, Wheeling is in. Take a look and I believe 44 of our 72 games are in-division, so how we play in our own division will be a big factor in whether we make the playoffs or not.”

One challenge is the roster itself: just a few players from last season’s team are returning. Cody Sol, Jason Binkley, Taylor Crunk, Marco Roy, Jamie Schaafsma, Anthony Petruzzelli, Justin Hodgman, and Ryan Lowney are all back in the lineup, bolstered by offseason acquisitions that include Garrett Ladd, Garret Ross, and Zachary Fucale.

Graham says those new additions will be learning directly from the returning players:

“The theme of training camp is actually ‘getting to us.’ That means chemistry, right away, and playing for the front of the jersey, not the back.”

The Komets will play an exhibition game this Saturday in Fort Wayne at the Coliseum against the Indy Fuel, and the official season kicks off on October 12th in Indianapolis.

Follow the action with Shane Albahrani as he returns for his third full season performing play-by-play broadcasting on WOWO 1190AM and 107.5 FM, and also streaming live at Komets.com.