Puck drop is around the corner for Southwest Ohio. These are storylines, players to watch

The puck drops on a new high school hockey season on Friday and local teams are ready to battle it out with some of the best skaters in the region.

Take a look at some of the top storylines and players for area teams, including new coaches, new leagues and new opportunities.

Association shake-up gives Mason ice hockey extra talent

Last season Mason competed as an Ohio High School Athletic Association-sanctioned high school team and went 7-16-1.

Fifth-year coach Joel Das decided to make a big change to the Comets' hockey program in an effort to boost its talent and numbers this year. The Comets are now a club team in partnership with Mason High School, meaning their players are allowed to join other club and travel teams and play more games while still competing against OHSAA teams.

This change brought in more players with club hockey backgrounds and Das hopes to push his team to a winning record this year. The Comets will still play in the Southwest Ohio High School Hockey League with other high school teams in addition to club hockey teams and open the academic season Dec. 1, with a game against Troy.

More: Moeller, CCD seniors lead all-state and district soccer awards

St. Xavier Bombers ice hockey looks for a promotion

St. Xavier had a strong season last year and coach Bob Bove has clear expectations for this year.

The Bombers are in the White Division of the Capital Hockey Conference, the middle division of a powerhouse conference, but if Bove has his way they won't stay there long. While St. Xavier might not have the numbers or man-to-man talent of other CHC teams like Upper Arlington or Olentangy Liberty, Bove and his team have built a system of play that highlights teamwork and strong neutral zone play.

This system of controlling the middle of the ice led to big wins last year including the first win over Olentangy Berlin in program history. The backbone of the team this season are the five seniors, four forwards, a defenseman and junior goalie Joey Rusnak.

Last week, the Bombers opened their season against top teams from Pennsylvania, Indiana and Chicago at the Bishop Noll Invitational in Hammond, Indiana. The Bombers won the weekend and had a 4-1 tournament record. St. Xavier now turns to OHSAA play with a game against Bowling Green on Friday.

New coach, new opportunities for Moeller ice hockey

The Moeller Crusaders have a new coach for the season as Dave Holum takes the reins after volunteering with the JV team in previous years.

Holum is a former NCAA DI hockey player and coached in the U.S. Hockey League but he has his work cut out for him at Moeller after a mediocre 5-6-4 in-conference record last season.

Ten players graduated in May and in order to make a full roster the Crusaders moved several upperclassmen from JV to varsity and have a team with a mix of experience and skill levels.

Holum and his team are immediately jumping into the deep end as they open the season against reigning state champion Olentangy Liberty on Friday.

Keep an eye out for Elder ice hockey

Elder needs a good rebound season after finishing 5-18-3 last year. About half the team is left after nine players graduated in May and Elder starts the regular season against Troy this Sunday.

Springboro finished 13-20-2 overall and 5-8-1 in CHC play. The (blue) Panthers host Dublin Coffman to begin the season on Friday.

Northern Kentucky Norsemen ice hockey has been playing since September

The Kentucky High School Athletic Association has not sanctioned ice hockey, but the Northern Kentucky Youth Hockey Association sponsors a varsity ice hockey team that plays many Southwest Ohio and regional teams in Dayton, Lexington and Columbus.

The Norsemen so far are 5-10-4 since the team's season kicked off in mid-September. They play out of the Northern Kentucky Ice Center in Crescent Springs. The Norsemen travel to their next Cincinnati opponent, St. Xavier, on Dec. 1.

Players to watch

Matthew Langenderfer, St. Xavier – The senior forward was the Cincinnati Enquirer's High School Ice Hockey Player of the Year for his play in the 2022-23 season. Last year, Langenderfer had eight goals and 11 assists in conference play and was named to the first-team All-White Division in the Capital Hockey Conference. This year, look for Langenderfer to drive offense for the Bombers and be among the top point producers in the Cincinnati area.

Joey Rusnak, St. Xavier – After backing up senior Simon Kelly last year, Rusnak has earned the starting goalie job for this season and is off to a strong start. In the Bombers' opening invitational appearance at the Bishop Noll Invitational Rusnak was named Player of the Game after the championship game where St. Xavier beat North Catholic High School 3-2 to win the weekend.

Jack Schaltz, St. Xavier – In coach Bob Bove's new zone defensive system, Schaltz is a key player and will be given a lot of responsibility this year. Look for Schaltz to get a lot of ice time this season as Bove trusts the senior to hold the neutral zone and assist in offense.

Jacob Sackenheim, Moeller – As a sophomore last year, Sackenheim led the Crusaders in CHC goals with five and was tied for second in points with eight. The defenseman is one of the most experienced skaters suiting up for Moeller this year and will need to take on a big on-ice role to push his team up in the standings.

Noah Smith, Moeller – Smith is one of the few returning varsity players and held his own in the competitive Red Division of CHC. The goalie finished last season with a .870 save percentage and will once again be the starter for his team.

Landon Schroeder, Springboro – The Panthers' goalie had an impressive .903 save percentage in the CHC Blue Division last year and as the team has continued to struggle with goal-scoring in the preseason, it is vital that Schroeder returns to his strong play this year if the Panthers want to move up in their division standings.

Brendan Canham, Mason – Canham was named to the All-SWOHSHL second-team last year as a sophomore and returns this year in Mason's first year as a club team. Canham has played both defenseman and forward for the Comets and is strong in all zones.

Benjamin Unkraut, Northern Kentucky Norsemen - He leads the Norsemen with 10 goals and eight assists in 18 games played, with his best games happening in wins against Bishop Watterson (6-4 Nov. 5), Raleigh Raptors in a Tennessee tournament (5-3 Sept. 16) and Cincinnati Swords (3-0 Oct. 22).

Maddox Malton, Northern Kentucky Norsemen - Malton is second behind Unkraut in points so far this season with five goals and six assists. His best game so far was a four-point contribution (one goal, three assists) in a 5-0 win over Louisville Metro.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati high school hockey 2023-2024 season preview