The Seattle Storm enter 2015 season with plenty of room for improvement after a tumultuous 2014 campaign. Seattle finished 12-22 in 2014, but then won the WNBA Draft lottery for the No. 1 overall pick before also trading for the No. 3 pick. That provided them the opportunity to go in numerous directions as they rebuild. In the end, the Storm chose to keep their picks and select from a talent pool that got richer just days before the draft.

Those draft picks serve as just two parts of the new era that’s beginning in Seattle. Gone are the dominant days of old. Instead, a rebuilding project that the front office understands may take more than just a few years is now underway.

Here’s what to watch for in Seattle this season:

New era, new faces          

Seattle selected Notre Dame guard Jewell Loyd with the No. 1 pick and immediately added a dynamic athlete to a roster that was already in the midst of an overhaul. Loyd, a two-time Associated Press All-American, helped lead the Fighting Irish to back-to-back NCAA Women’s Final Four National Championship games before declaring for the WNBA Draft. Her offensive skillset is already special, and being paired alongside WNBA great Sue Bird should help with the development of her other guard skills.

The Storm also selected sharpshooter Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis from Connecticut. Mosqueda-Lewis ended her collegiate career as the all-time leader in three-point field goals in Division I. Seattle believes her shooting stroke can remain pure at the next level, but it also believes she can be more than just a knockdown shooter. Mosqueda-Lewis noted after the draft that she wants to contribute in any way possible during her first season in Seattle. And they’ll gladly take every bit of her effort.

Goodbye Agler, hello Boucek

From 2008 to 2014, Brian Agler guided the Storm to the playoffs six times, bringing home a WNBA championship in 2010. The Storm and Agler parted ways in January, with Agler going to Los Angeles as the Storm moved in a different direction as a franchise. This season, head coach Jenny Boucek is tasked with pointing Seattle in the right direction as it rebuilds.

For years, the Storm have been one of the older teams in the league, but as usually is the case, the time has come for a new era. Boucek brings a more fast-paced approach to her offense, something that should play into the hands of Loyd and the younger roster.

It won’t be an easy project for Boucek, but she has the benefit of a front office that understands the road ahead isn’t going to be smooth right away. Rather, it’ll take time for Boucek and the new era of Storm stars to methodically pave their path to the top of Western Conference.

Bird back for 13th season

Boucek has the luxury of being able to coach one of the WNBA’s best point guards of all-time. While Sue Bird returns for her 13th season after posting the lowest assist totals and second-lowest point totals of her career in 2014, but she’s back to full health and will have the chance to mentor a young roster of players that have expressed a willingness to learn from her.

Loyd and Mosqueda-Lewis noted at Team USA camp that they’ve been taking in any knowledge they can glean from Bird during the offseason.

UConn connections

The University of Connecticut is one of the dominant program in NCAA women’s basketball, and as such it has produced some of the WNBA’s greatest talents. So it’s not uncommon for more than one UConn alum to be featured on a WNBA roster.

The Storm, however, have three former Huskies that will play marquee roles this season.  Seven-year veteran Renee Montgomery joins Bird and Mosqueda-Lewis in Seattle, nearly 3,000 miles from UConn’s campus. Montgomery was acquired by the Storm in a trade with the Connecticut Sun during the offseason. She brings experience and an added threat from behind the arc in the Storm backcourt. Her minutes dipped in 2014, but being on a team with a need for scoring may help Montgomery take her game to the next level in Seattle.

Fusion of international talent

Despite the overhaul of the Storm’s roster, one constant has been the presence of Australian national team members. That theme holds true in 2015 as Boucek’s squad features two Australian nationals. Abby Bishop returns to the Storm after a five-year absence. She spent the past five seasons playing for the Australian national team and for various teams in the WNBL. She joins Jenny O’Hea, who is in her fifth season in the WNBA.

The Storm also added Ramu Tokashiki to its training camp roster, and she’ll be vying for a chance in the WNBA after a successful career playing overseas in her native Japan. The four-time MVP of the Women’s Japan Basketball League would be only the third Japanese player to make a WNBA roster. The 23-year-old forward averaged 18.0 points, 11.5 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game this past season in Japan.