BLOOMINGTON - Tyler Rennette is not surprised by the type of team that has been assembled for the initial season of ice hockey for the Bloomington PrairieThunder.

"I'm not surprised because Derek (head coach Derek Booth) has a great hockey knowledge," said Rennette. "He keeps ties on guys and they will come play for him. A lot of us have played with him and for him before."

The PrairieThunder make its franchise debut today in a 6:30 p.m. United Hockey League contest at Muskegon (Mich.) before playing its first home game Saturday at 7:05 p.m. against Fort Wayne at the U.S. Cellular Coliseum.

"Fans should expect a lot of excitement Saturday night," said Rennette, who previously played for the Peoria Rivermen for five years before playing at UHL champion Kalamazoo last year. He scored 59 points last year and is regarded as one of the top scorers in the UHL.

"Our fans can expect to see a lot of everything this year," added Rennette, who was the No. 40 overall draft pick in the NHL by the St. Louis Blues in 1997. "We have a lot of speed and experienced guys who have played in this league before and won championships.

"We're looking to win as an expansion team. Most teams try to put a good program together the first year. But we feel we have a solid team and we're going to compete every night."

The veteran center said the Thunder plans on having strong defense and good offense.

"With the experienced players we have, we should get a lot of offensive chances," said Rennette. "Derek is letting us be creative and with experience comes creativity.

"Our depth is pretty even across the board. The young guys have showed they can play in training camp. That helps a lot because we know they are going to contribute along with the older guys. We think we can all get the job done."

Player-coach Trevor Baker, who also played for the Rivermen, thinks fans will see a fast, young team with a lot of end-to-end action.

"They'll see non-stop action," he added. "Our strength is offense because we have a lot of scoring power, but if you don't have any defense you're going to lose games."

Booth, a former Rivermen captain who spent the last two years as the coach at the Fayetteville (N.C.) franchise, feels comfortable with his team heading into its opener.

"We're still trying to put some things together, but we have smart guys who are figuring things out quickly," said Booth. "It comes down to the players trusting the coaches and each other. That will take some time, but it's a long season."

Booth said the team has a number of players capable of scoring.

"We have a lot of guys who are capable of scoring 30 to 40 goals," Booth continued. "I think we will have a high-powered offense and a defense that will jell."

Booth added that fans should look for Rennettee, B.J. Gaustad and Mathieu Brunelle to be the most consistent scorers. They should also expect Jason Payne and Jason Lawmaster to be the team enforcers.

"That's been my job growing up and coming through the ranks," said Payne. "I'm definitely going to be out there protecting my players."

The PrairieThunder is in the Western Conference with Chicago, Quad City, Rockford and Fort Wayne (Ind.). Teams in the Eastern Conference include Michigan franchises in Muskegon, Flint, Kalamazoo and Port Huron, along with Elmira (N.Y.).

"The league should have a lot of parity," said Booth. "It's tough to say right now who might be the best."