The University of Denver’s only dress rehearsal before next weekend’s season-opening Ice Breaker Tournament is Saturday night against Canadian University opponent Mount Royal.

The exhibition, which faces off at 7 p.m. at Magness Arena, provides an opportunity for Pioneers fans to get an early read on the team’s lineup. DU is down six regulars from last season but the departures accounted for 168 points and 54 of their 134 goals.

Here are four key questions:

Who steps into the top six?

Half of it will be new. Leading scorer Danton Heinen and No. 3 scorer Trevor Moore took 92 of the Pacific Rim Line’s 139 points to NHL training camps this fall. Second-line center and every situation stalwart Quentin Shore‘s graduation removes 28 more points as well as the Pioneers’ most reliable face-off performer. The other three returning players – sophomores Dylan Gambrell (47 points) and Troy Terry (22) and senior Evan Janssen (12) – are good bets to remain there. At practice this week, sophomore Jarid Lukosevicius (10) and freshmen Henrik Borgstrom and Liam Finlay were in the mix. Lukosevicius and Terry were two players Coach Jim Montgomery told me this summer are expected to play much bigger roles in 2016-17. You know what you’re getting with Gambrell (pictured) and Janssen. Borgstrom and Finlay are extremely skilled but bring vastly different styles. The former is 6-foot-3 while the latter is a 5-7 bolt of energy.

Who brings the energy?

There is no shortage of contenders. If Montgomery wants a veteran third line, he could slide senior center Matt Marcinew between senior Emil Romig and sophomore Colin Staub. Expect heated competition. Marcinew does it all – his 11 goals tied for fourth on the team last season and he is the best returning face-off option with the departures of Shore and Gabe Levin. I would not be surprised to see him in the top-six mix. Nor would it surprise me to see Staub, who got better the more he played last season, figure in there. Romig was another Pioneer who took his game to another level down the stretch and worked well with Staub. Beyond them, expect heated competition between seniors Brad Hawkinson and Evan Ritt, junior Rudy Junda, sophomore Logan O’Connor and freshmen Justin Cole, Kevin Conley and Tyson McLellan. Hawkinson is healthy and has moved up front from defense. O’Connor had his moments early in the season but was an odd man out once the Pioneers went on their second-half roll. McLellan might be a better skating version of Levin, while Cole (6-3, 210 pounds) and Conley (6-0, 195) bring size.

What will the defense pairings look like?

The one loss on the blue line, Nolan Zajac, is a big one. His 20 points were second among blue liners to captain Will Butcher‘s 32. Zajac also blocked a team-high 77 points and played in every situation. Butcher leads a veteran group that includes fellow senior Matt VanVoorhis, who was instrumental in helping sophomore Blake Hillman develop as the season wore on. Junior Tariq Hammond was a physical presence whose skating and offensive acumen are underrated. Fellow junior Adam Plant overcame an early injury and was a steady contributor. The pros took note of this group. Zajac was invited to the Minnesota Wild’s training camp, Hammond was invited to Montreal’s prospect camp and Hillman was a sixth-round pick of the Chicago. Butcher (pictured) remains an Avalanche prospect. The group gains a pair of freshmen who bring different elements to the table in high-scoring Michael Davies (5-8), a junior teammate of Hillman’s and Gambrell’s, and Erich Fear (6-5). In addition sophomore Sean Mostrom (6-3) returns. There are several potential combinations here, and it would not surprise to see some rotation through the bottom pair to start the season. And the pairs may switch depending on the situation.

Follow the leaders?

The graduation of two-time captain Grant Arnold can’t be overlooked. If there was one tone-setter for the Pioneers over the past two seasons, No. 39 was it. He held himself accountable and expected the same from his teammates. Butcher was elevated from assistant, and his public persona is not as fiery but he clearly commands respect from his teammates. Three others seniors – Janssen, Marcinew and VanVoorhis will wear A’s. The even-keeled Janssen is exhibit A for a team player and is often cited by Montgomery for his hockey IQ and sacrifice. VanVoorhis and Marcinew are more vocal, and both possess outstanding senses of humor to keep things light.

Expect plenty of experimentation to continue well into the season’s first half. Ultimately it took until after the Christmas break to settle on some lasting lineup decisions last year. Despite the temptation to project lines and pairs, it likely will be a work in progress.

It all starts with Saturday night’s exhibition.

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