The Magpies are buoyed by the additions of midfielders Levi Greenwood, Jack Crisp and utility Travis Varcoe during the NAB AFL Trade Period.
Buckley said the acquisitions will add depth and help his team take the next step after missing this year's finals.
"I'm very happy with how we've come out of it (the trade period)," Buckley said on Wednesday.
"We've got a player here that's finished top-three in a best and fairest at a top-four club (Greenwood), we've got a two-time premiership player (Varcoe) … and we've got a young bloke whose last six games, he's proven to himself and everyone else that he's very capable at the level."
Buckley said a strong pre-season will be a key focus and is confident his side can become a serious contender.
"We're very aware of the outside perception of where we're at at the moment," he said.
"The reality is we're a club that are building towards our next sustained successful period, and I've got no doubt that that can come a lot sooner than the external perception might suggest.
"We saw great growth in our group in the last 12 months and if we get the same growth again in the next 12, (then) we'll surprise a few.
"Our capacity to develop the resilience, physical, mental and emotional, in our playing list, due to the youth in many ways is going to be important for us to have a really strong pre-season this year."
Buckley said the addition of NAB AFL Draft pick No.5 (which the Pies picked up from the Brisbane Lions in exchange for Dayne Beams) and father-son recruit Darcy Moore with pick No.9 in next month's draft would further strengthen the playing list.
"We'll bring two of the top-10 draft talent into the club this year," he said.
"Add that to what I already saw as a very exciting young list with the likes of Jamie Elliott, Marley Williams … Tim Broomhead who we saw glimpses of, Ben Reid and Nathan Brown who we didn’t see much of over the last couple of years.
"We've got plenty of scope and growth in us, and think we've done really well in the trade period to be able to build on that."
Buckley said the club's strength and conditioning program would be overhauled after a year ravaged by soft-tissue injuries.
"It was clear (from an end-of-season review) that our injury profile last year was not at the level that gave us the chance to compete optimally throughout the year, it affected our output," he said.
"We've shifted our focus on how we're going to prepare in the gym, less of a power focus and more of a functional strength component.
"And clearly to build the aerobic base in this transitional phase of the game."
As part of the overhaul into the Pies' fitness and medical department, former Geelong club doctor Chris Bradshaw has joined the club.
