“[There is a] second wave of guys that has been good but hasn’t really met its full potential just yet,” Donato said. “That list of guys includes Marshall Everson, Alexander Fallstrom, and Conor Morrison. I think those guys are very good players, and we expect them to have breakout years.”

Defensemen have also been a source of offense in the past. Junior Danny Biega, the younger brother of Michael Biega ’11, was the team’s leading scorer last season with 30 points. The defenseman may need to play an even greater role, as he will have to account for the hole left by Chris Huxley ’11, one of the top point-scorers last season.

Perhaps the biggest question mark for the Harvard attack lies with its five incoming freshman forwards, many of whom are expected to contribute immediately.

Among the talented players are Mike Seward, who was named The Boston Globe All-Scholastic Athlete of the Year, and Colin Blackwell, dubbed ESPN Boston’s Mr. Hockey Player of the Year. In addition, both Blackwell and fellow freshman forward Petr Placek were selected in the 2011 NHL draft.

For the Crimson, there are many potential sources of offense. But Harvard will have to get going early in the year, something that has been a struggle over the past several seasons.

In the past three years, the Crimson has a 5-18-4 record in the month of November. Last year, it only registered 16 goals in nine games played.

“I think, any year, there are people you can point to that are big losses,” Donato said. “But to me, I feel like we have an upgrade of talent.”