However, there are no sure bets it seems this year.
"Been definitely different that's for sure," Steele said.
The excitement for the still upcoming regular season started with an open camp September 8/9, followed by four exhibition games.
For Steele, it's a little busier now that he's behind the bench and behind a desk in the office.
"It's been great to get back to the rink that's for sure," Steele said. "Having the GM role puts on a lot more pressure and time to get ready for the season. I've been involved in hockey a long time but never on this side too. It's a lot more work than I thought. All of the paper work you have to do."
Some of the challenges has been dealing with covid-19 guidelines, as well as finding players who have maintained a desire for junior hockey.
"A lot of kids with the new policy, some of them have their own beliefs, so they dropped hockey because they don't want to be vaccinated," said Steele. "Some kids I called said they weren't interested, they're working and they don't have time. They had a year off and now chose work or playing in a fun league with their buddies."
The Dolphins have their opening line-up set led by captain and defenceman Braidon Duncan, a third year Dolphin and alternates Jacob Marsh and Dylan Vandersleen.
"We have a great core coming back," Steele said. "We're going to be a little rusty out of the gate. I'm hoping we can build. We have got better each (exhibition) game even though the results haven't been. Different line combinations and different guys in the line-up. They're starting to learn the system. It's one thing to draw it up on the board. It's another thing to have it in practice "
Also returning from the 2019-20 team are goalie Liam MacCarthy, defencemen Nick Andrews and Quinn Wenger and forwards Noah Small, Dylan Van Dusen and Isaac Boer-hersh.
Van Dusen, Small, Andrews, Wenger, Bryce Darville, Jakob Marche and Ethan Whitmore, are playing for their hometown team, Smith and Vandersleen hail from Aylmer, and rookie defenceman Caleb Haalstra calls Belmont home.
After a year with the St. Marys Lincolns, Josh Short returns to the Dolphins.
Four other rookies join Haalsra on the roster: forwards Nicholas Shearer, Brett Holt and Gordon Kean and defenceman Oliver Sloan.
"This year I think will have the most parity in the league. It's going to be a tough haul," said Steele. "I like to be in the hunt at the half way mark and then we can guage where we are. We have a 36 game schedule, so at the 18 game mark I hope to be in the top four. Then we can gauge where we have to improve."
Steele feels scoring shouldn't be an issue for the team.
"We should be able to score goals. It's just a matter of defending them. We have a strong core up front that will be leaned on."
Short scored 23 goals as a junior rookie during the 2019-20 season, followed by nine goals in nine playoff games. Small had 23 goals and 26 assists that same season.
Playing for the Aylmer Spitfires two years ago, Smith had 13 goals and 16 assists in 30 games, while Vandersleen, had five goals and 13 assists, in 22 games.
Goaltending should be solid with MacCarthy, owner of a 2.54 goals-against average and a .930 save percentage in 2019-20 and Jackson Mailloux, who had a 1.88 GAA that season with the London Jr. Knights AAA U18 team.
Dorchester visits the Port Stanley Sailors, for the lake side team's home opener, Saturday, October 9.