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OXFORD — Coach Enrico Blasi and his Miami University hockey players expect to have a good season.

But it might take a little patience.

"I can tell you one thing," Blasi said, "we'll probably be a lot better in January than we are right now."

The RedHawks open their season Friday, Oct. 10, at Ohio State with a curious mix of sheer talent and inexperience, confidence and caution.

"It's going to be a tough year, I can feel it," Miami junior forward Jarod Palmer said. "We're going to have a bit of a learning curve. We may get off on a bumpy road, but we have an exceptional coaching staff."

"We have a lot of young guys in certain areas and we need to be patient," Blasi said.

The RedHawks lost what might be considered the core of last year's team, which spent much of the regular season ranked No. 1 in the nation.

Gone are Ryan Jones, one of the nation's leading scorers with 31 goals; Jeff Zatkoff, one of the nation's top goaltenders with a 1.7 goals-against average; Nathan Davis, an all-American whose final season was hampered by a shoulder injury; Alec Martinez, a top-notch defender who also tallied 32 points; Mitch Ganzak, the team leader with 27 assists; and Charlie Effinger, perhaps the nation's top backup goalie with a 6-0 record.

"It's a work in progress," Blasi said of this year's team, "but we feel we have a very talented group.

"This is a new team with a lot of new faces," he added. "They'll find their own identity in playing games, and we'll see where they lead us."

There are some familiar faces as well: senior forwards Justin Mercier and team captain Brian Kaufman, junior forward Jarod Palmer, sophomore forwards Carter Camper, Pat Cannone, Tommy Wingels and Andy Miele, and senior defenders Kevin Roeder and Raymond Eichenlaub.

"This year more than in the past our whole senior class is going to try to be leaders," Kaufman said. "It's something we talked about last year."

"Our forwards, when they're on, are going to be as good as anybody in the country," Blasi pointed out. "Our power play, both units, are very talented and can do some damage."

Miami's lack of experience is among the defensemen and goalies.

"We have two young guys (at goal)," Blasi said, referring to freshmen Connor Knapp and Cody Reichard. "We're going to have to develop them and give them an opportunity to play. You'll see them both early. At one point, one of them might emerge."

The RedHawks also will rely heavily on freshman defenders like Will Weber, Cameron Schilling, Matt Thomasoni and Chris Wideman.

"We have some guys on D who haven't played a lot," Blasi said. "I don't consider that a weakness. We've always prided ourselves on our defense. Our young guys will come along, I'm very confident about that."

Although Miami came within one victory of earning a berth in last season's Frozen Four, the team's ultimate goal remains remarkably simple and modest.

"The goal is not to win a national championship, though ultimately that's what we want," Blasi said. "The goal is to get better every day."

There is, however, a sense of urgency as far as the seniors are concerned.

As Kaufman pointed out, "We haven't been to the Frozen Four or the national championship game yet."