Midget Hockey is back in Strathmore and just like the last few years the expectations are extremely high for the CFR Chemical "AAA" Bisons this Alberta Major Midget Hockey League season.

Riding on back to back South Division titles, the process begins for the Bisons who have had a lot of turnover in the off-season but also have inherited some great talent coming into their training camp this weekend.

Bisons Head Coach Sandy Henry says he thinks he has the personnel to get back to the Telus Cup like they did in 2014.

"There's definitely an expectation now that we're going to be in the hunt every year and I fully expect this year is no different, I think the potential is there for another another real good Bison hockey team," he says. "It all starts Saturday and we're going to work towards playing in Prince George in April."

Gone are some of the highest scoring players in the league from a season ago in Gary Haden who's off to the WHL with the Medicine Hat Tigers while Centre Kyle Gordon will lace up with the Okotoks Oilers and Cam Shorrock will take his turn in the AJHL with the Camrose Kodiaks.

But the Bisons get the talk of the WHL Bantam Draft, as Okotoks native and Kootenay Ice pick Peyton Krebs will be vying for a spot on the roster.

Henry says Krebs will have to earn his way onto the team but says it's not often a team gets that opportunity to have a top pick come into the fold which is exciting.

"As a player he's a dynamic guy, played some games with us last year as an affiliate so we have a real good idea what we get from him as a high skill, high tempo guy that can execute plays and he'll know what to expect from us."

In Henry's first season at the controls of the Bisons he picked off where his predecessor Dan McDonald left off, getting to a league championship before bowing out to the Lloydminster Bobcats.

He says with a strong core to work with he'll have to have strong game management and utilize all the talent he has at his disposal.

"When you have a lot of strong players, they have strong personalities and desires to compete and be the guy so to speak. That's what got those guys there you have to have that in you to rise to that level but when you have 20 of them now you got to manage that a little bit."

Bisons training camp begins Saturday in Strathmore.