Cane, whose recovery from back surgery in Japan kept him out of rugby for four months, is one of four players added to the first squad of the season for the Lipovitan-D Rugby Championship.
Fullback Ruben Love is the only debutant, while Will Jordan and David Havili are the new players.
With lock Scott Barrett now leading the side, Cane said he would have a chance to focus on himself, with more time to prepare and less time spent on captaincy duties and meetings.
Cane spoke with Barrett when he was named captain to offer him his support.
"Scooter's [Barrett] got a massive role, because he's not only All Blacks captain, but he also runs the lineout, which is a huge responsibility in itself."
Captaincy is challenging because there is little time to switch off in the evenings or between training, as there is always something else on.
"Scooter is a leader who is comfortable with who he is and he is not going to try and be someone he's not. He's got some awesome support around him."
Cane said no one who had been around the All Blacks for a few years ever took selection for granted, and he is grateful for the opportunity. He appreciated being with the squad for three weeks in New Zealand during the England series.
"It helped me get back up to speed and played a big part in making me available for this team selection.
"There's no better environment for demanding excellence that I've been part of. You're motivated and driven by a lot of things; competition from your teammates and the coaches constantly drive you to be better and to get the best out of every single day. It's an uplifting and awesome place to live and be each day.
"I'm looking for forward to being in and around that every day and adding my bit to it."
Cane went through the nervous lead-up to the team's announcement and said he wasn't expecting to be named. He prepared himself on the lines that if he was selected, it was a bonus, and if not named, he was ready for a season with Bay of Plenty.
He said it was during his stint in Japan that he started having trouble with his back and pain down the side of his leg. He had surgery on his back, which involved four months of recovery.
Cane was thankful he was able to get surgery quickly, and while there was a risk when being treated for nerve pain that the nerves might not fully recover, there were no issues, and he has been feeling good.
That took him out of Super Rugby Pacific, but when he returned to New Zealand, he could train with the Chiefs during the final stages of the competition. He played club rugby for two weeks, the first time he had played at that level since 2011.
"I enjoyed that, and got exactly what I needed. One game was fast and flying and the other was on a muddy track with lots of contact."
On Friday, he will play for Bay of Plenty against Taranaki in an NPC pre-season game.
"I'm just trying to work on getting better and improving and, hopefully, I'll be up to Test level pretty quickly."
Cane said he was excited to see what the new coaching group under Scott Robertson can do with the All Blacks.
"I was eager to be involved, and learn off them while still contributing to the team. Nothing's changed from when I was a 20-year-old. I love the opportunity of representing my country and we'll do everything I can to make this next six months memorable."