The LaSalle Vipers appear to be the early favorites as the Western Ontario Hockey Conference launches another season.

The Vipers, who opened their regular schedule last night with an 11-5 drubbing of the Lambton Shores Predators, have 18 players back from last year's Sutherland Cup winning squad. Several of their opponents, meanwhile, are losing huge numbers of proven stars, which means it could take them many weeks to jell into strong teams, assuming they have found good replacements.

But a couple of teams – including the Sarnia Legionnaires – should give the defending champions a run for their money before the playoffs begin in March.

Following is a team-by-team preview of the Western Conference, listed by the order in which they finished last season:

London Nationals

Last year – The Nats finished in first place, a spot they had all but wrapped up by Christmas. In the playoffs they eliminated Leamington in the first round before being upset in the semi-final by the St. Thomas Stars.

Changes – London is undergoing a massive rebuild, with only eight players back from last year's club. Gone are several major stars, including 30-goal men Adam McKee, Shaun Furlong and Chris Mackay. On the positive side, the Nats have added Noah Schwartz, a high-scoring find from Tier 2 Jr. 'A' hockey who has come to London to attend university.

Outlook – Because London is, by far, the biggest city in the league, the Nationals will always have a huge supply of good Jr. 'B' calibre players to recruit from, no matter how many skaters they might lose from one campaign to the next. Nevertheless, it might take them a year or two to get back to where they were last spring. Look for the Nats to drop from first to somewhere in the middle of the pack.

Strathroy Rockets

Last year – The Rockets finished second, then bowed out to the upstart St. Thomas Stars in the first round of the playoffs.

Changes – Strathroy is losing a lot of players, including veteran goalie Blair Bennett and 49-goal scorer Chris Bodo.

Outlook – The Rockets have many holes to fill, but they have an excellent coaching staff that always does a good job of finding and developing fresh talent. And they have enough returning veterans, including Sarnia's Derek Nap, to cause a lot of trouble for their opponents. A finish in the top four would not surprise many observers.

Chatham Maroons

Last year – The Maroons finished third, then defeated Sarnia in seven games in the first round before losing the second series 4-2 to the Vipers.

Changes – Chatham has undergone a huge turnover, losing five of its top seven scorers, including deadly marksmen Travis Winkworth and Thor Skalski. Gone too is Steve Kruk, perhaps Chatham's best defenceman. Worst of all, superstar goalie Mike Ostropolec is too old to return. Still, the club is getting ace defenceman Keith Maisonville back from the OHL and has another great rearguard in Colin Cloutier.

Outlook – The Maroons will have less finesse but more grit. Only time will tell how well their new recruits will turn out. As it stands right now, the Maroons will have to work hard every night if they hope to get home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

St. Marys Lincolns

Last year – The Lincs finished fourth, then went out in the first round of the playoffs in a five-game series with LaSalle.

Changes – This team has been devastated by turnover. Gone are both of last year's goalies and its top four scorers, including 43-goal sniper Seth Griffith. To complicate matters, Jamie Commerford and Ian MacIntosh are both expected to miss the start of the year with injuries. Commerford, a power forward who can score plenty of goals, is out until November.

Outlook – The Lincs are unlikely to gain a top four berth.

LaSalle Vipers

Last year – The Vipers finished fifth in the regular season, then won the Ontario championship in the playoffs.

Changes – LaSalle is losing impact forward Ryan Baldwin and flashy rearguard David Sharp, but they have enough returning stars to be a major force..

Outlook – The Vipers should challenge for first place.

Sarnia Legionnaires

Last year – The Legionnaires finished sixth, then lost a tough seven-game series to Chatham.

Changes – Sarnia has lost a few stars, including defencemen Anton Zupancic and Tommy Ziolkowski and goalie Jesse Raymond. Mike Reed, a product of Boston, has earned a spot in net alongside fellow American Kyle Washer.

Outlook – The Legionnaires are a big, fast, much-improved team. With a dozen veterans in the lineup, including classy forwards Tyler Cicchini, Jesse Drydak, Owen Rogers, Chase Clark, Shawn Waldie and Nathan Mater, they should be able to grab a spot in the top four. If Hockey Canada gives them permission to sign a pair of smooth skating Europeans who have been training with them this fall, they could be a top contender.

St. Thomas Stars

Last year – The Stars finished seventh, then surprised everyone by winning two playoff rounds before losing the final in six games to LaSalle.

Changes – St. Thomas has lost half a dozen key players, including Jared Richmond, one of the best goalies in the league, and brilliant blueliner Jake Worrad. They have added Brian Shaw, a big, four-year OHL veteran. And they still have Sarnia native Chris Rocca, who is a large, skilled forward.

Outlook – With the playoff experience they gained last year, the Stars that are returning should be able to move the team up a few notches in the standings.

Leamington Flyers

Last year – The Flyers finished eighth in the nine-team loop, winning only seven of 50 games. In the playoffs, they lost the first round in four straight games to London.

Changes – Leamington lost starting goalie Ryan Malinowski to overage and they have new ownership and a new coach. In fact, bench boss Tony Piroski, who has a proven track record with the Essex 73s Jr. 'C' team, has cleaned house, bringing back only four of last year's athletes, including Cheyne Matheson, who led the Flyers in scoring with 11 goals.

Outlook – With the enthusiasm that will come with new management, the Flyers should improve. Last night, they lost their opener by a narrow 3-1 margin right in London. But neither of their netminders has junior hockey experience, which could be a problem down the stretch.

Lambton Shores Predators

Last year – The Preds finished out of the playoffs.

Changes – The talented Rupert twins, Ryan and Matt, have joined this struggling franchise and should breath some life into it. Indeed, Ryan had three goals and one assist in last night's loss to LaSalle and Matt had two helpers.

Outlook – With most of its players eligible to return, the Predators should be stronger than last year. They're off to a bad start, but a lot of teams are going to get thumped in LaSalle this winter. If just one team above them falters, they could get into the playoffs.