Erie Otters

Erie Otters
City Erie, Pennsylvania
League Ontario Hockey League
Conference Western
Division Midwest
Founded 1996 (1996)–97
Home arena Erie Insurance Arena
Colors Navy blue, gold, red, white
                   
Website www.ottershockey.com
Franchise history
1946–1953 Windsor Spitfires
1953–1960 Hamilton Tiger Cubs
1960–1974 Hamilton Red Wings
1974–1976 Hamilton Fincups
1976–1977 St. Catharines Fincups
1977–1978 Hamilton Fincups
1978–1984 Brantford Alexanders
1984–1988 Hamilton Steelhawks
1988–1996 Niagara Falls Thunder
1996–present Erie Otters

The Erie Otters are a Major junior ice hockey team based in Erie, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Midwest Division of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), one of only three American teams in the circuit. The "Otters" name refers to the North American otter (Lontra canadensis), a semiaquatic mammal common to Lake Erie.

History

The Erie Otters were previously located in Niagara Falls, Ontario, where they were called the Niagara Falls Thunder. They moved to Erie Insurance Arena in downtown Erie in time for the 1996–97 season. After three seasons of mediocrity in Erie, they won the Midwest Division's Holody Trophy in 1999. It was their first of three consecutive Midwest Division championships, culminating in a J. Ross Robertson Cup in the 2001–02 season. Additionally, Dave MacQueen won the Matt Leyden Trophy in 2000–01 as the OHL Coach of the Year and Sherwood Bassin was awarded OHL Executive of the Year for his role in building a championship team as general manager. The Erie Otters were the second U.S. team to win the OHL Championship, following the 1994–95 season champions Detroit Junior Red Wings (now the Plymouth Whalers).

Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) officially partnered with the Erie Otters in 2012 as their official medical provider.[1]

Connor McDavid era (2012-15)

Main article: Connor McDavid

Connor McDavid, a Canadian center, played for the Erie Otters from 2012 to 2015, before joining the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Otters chose him as their first overall pick in the OHL Priority Selection Draft. The NHL Central Scouting Bureau subsequently named McDavid the top North American prospect for the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, where the Oilers selected him first overall.[2][3] The Greater Toronto Hockey League named McDavid "Player of the Year" for the 2011–12 season following a record of 79 goals and 130 assists. Hockey Canada, the governing body for amateur hockey in Canada, granted McDavid "Exceptional Player" status, which permitted him to play in the OHL a year earlier than would otherwise be permissible for a player his age. He was only the third player to receive that status, after John Tavares and Aaron Ekblad.[4]

Uniforms and logos

The Erie Otters' colors are navy blue, gold, red, and white. Their primary logo features a circular outline with a fierce, anthropomorphic otter furnishing a hockey stick and gear. The "Otters" wordmark is superimposed over the design in red with gold and navy blue outline. The team's home uniform includes a navy blue sweater with red and gold accents. The away uniforms feature a white jersey with navy blue and red trim.

For the 2013 season, the Erie Otters introduced a gold alternate jersey. This jersey features a navy blue shoulder yoke, navy blue and white stripes, and the cursive "Otters" wordmark centered across the chest. Its design resembles the sweaters of the defunct Erie Blades, who played from 1975 to 1982.[5]

Arena

Main article: Erie Insurance Arena

The Erie Otters play their home games at Erie Insurance Arena, which opened in 1981 and currently seats 5,500 spectators. It is a centerpiece of the Erie Civic Center Complex, which also includes the Jerry Uht Park baseball stadium, home to the Double-A Erie SeaWolves.

Championships

Coaches

Dave MacQueen won the Matt Leyden Trophy in 2000–01 as the OHL Coach of the Year.

Multiple years in parentheses

Players

A total of 21 players have been selected at the National Hockey League Entry Draft since the franchise relocated to Erie, including a five-year stretch from 1997–2001 in which seven members of the team were selected in the first round: (1997 Jason Ward, 11th, Montreal Canadiens; 1998 Michael Rupp, ninth, New York Islanders; 1999 Tim Connolly, fifth, New York Islanders; 2000 Nikita Alexeev, eighth, Tampa Bay Lightning; Brad Boyes, 24th, Toronto Maple Leafs; 2001 Carlo Colaiacovo, 17th, Toronto Maple Leafs; and Adam Munro, 29th, Chicago Blackhawks).

Award winners

NHL alumni

Retired numbers

Current roster

Updated December 29th, 2015

Goaltenders
# Player Born Place of birth Drafted
20 Canada Jake Lawr 1998 Caledon, Ontario Eligible 2016
31 United States Devin Williams 1995 Saginaw, Michigan Undrafted
Defencemen
# Player Born Place of birth Drafted
2 Canada Mitchell Byrne 1998 Brampton, Ontario Eligible 2016
4 Canada Taylor Egan 1998 Carp, Ontario Eligible 2016
6 Canada Jordan Sambrook 1998 Markham, Ontario Eligible 2016
14 Slovakia Erik Černák 1997 Košice, Slovakia LA –– Round 2, 43rd overall –– 2015
22 Canada Josh Wainman 1999 Peterborough, Ontario Eligible 2017
24 Canada Darren Raddysh 1996 Caledon, Ontario Eligible 2016
25 Canada T. J. Fergus 1997 Oakville, Ontario Undrafted
44 Canada Travis Dermott 1996 Newmarket, Ontario TOR –– Round 2, 34th overall –– 2015
Forwards
# Player Position Born Place of birth Drafted
7 Canada Christian Girhiny LW 1998 Thorold, Ontario Eligible 2016
8 Germany Jakob Mayenschein C 1997 Landshut, Germany Undrafted
9 Canada Kyle Maksimovich LW 1998 Hamilton, Ontario Eligible 2016
10 United States Shaun Bily C 1998 Doylestown, Pennsylvania Eligible 2016
11 Canada Mitchell Webb LW 1997 Fort Erie, Ontario Undrafted
12 United States Alex DeBrincat RW 1997 Farmington Hills, Michigan Eligible 2016
13 Canada Brett Neumann C 1999 Toronto, Ontario Eligible 2017
15 Canada Kyle Pettit C 1996 Komoka, Ontario VAN –– Round 6, 156th overall –– 2014
17 Canada Taylor Raddysh RW 1998 Caledon, Ontario Eligible 2016
19 Canada Dylan Strome C 1997 Mississauga, Ontario ARI –– Round 1, 3rd overall –– 2015
21 Canada Patrick Fellows LW 1997 Mississauga, Ontario Undrafted
27 Canada Jake Marchment C 1995 Courtice, Ontario LA –– Round 6, 157th overall –– 2014
29 United States Nick Betz RW 1995 Mount Clemens, Michigan Undrafted
36 Canada Riley MacRae LW 1998 Dundas, Ontario Eligible 2016
42 Canada Haydn Hopkins C 1997 Victoria, British Columbia Undrafted
43 United States Vanya Lodnia C 1999 Novi, Michigan Eligible 2017

Team records

Team records for a single season
StatisticTotalSeason
Most points1062013–14
Most wins522013–14
Most goals for3312014–15
Least goals for1692011–12
Least goals against1702013–14
Most goals against3782006–07
Individual player records for a single season
StatisticPlayerTotalSeason
Most goalsDane Fox642013–14
Most assistsDylan Strome842014–15
Most pointsDylan Strome1292014–15
Most points, rookieAlex DeBrincat1042014–15
Most points, defencemanChris Campoli662003–04
Best GAA (goalie)Adam Munro2.312000–01
Goalies = minimum 1500 minutes played

Season-by-season results

Regular season

Legend: OTL - Overtime Loss, SL - Shootout Loss, PTS - Points, GF - Goals For, GA - Goals Against

Season Games Won Lost Tie OTL SL PTS PCT% GF GA Standing
1996–97662336 7 -- 530.4022402605th Central
1997–98663328 5 -- 710.5382612524th West
1998–99683133 4 -- 660.4852712973rd Midwest
1999–00683328 4 3- 730.5152242291st Midwest
2000–0168451110 2-1020.7352641711st Midwest
2001–02684122 4 1- 870.6322462181st Midwest
2002–03682435 6 3- 570.3971812485th Midwest
2003–04682926 6 7- 710.4712212125th Midwest
2004–05683126 6 5- 730.5001862074th Midwest
2005–06682635- 4 3 590.4342192665th Midwest
2006–07681550- 1 2 330.2432093785th Midwest
2007–08681846-2 2 400.2942063435th Midwest
2008–09683429-3 2 730.5372082543rd Midwest
2009–10683328-5 2 730.5372572594th Midwest
2010–11684026-1 1 820.6032812293rd Midwest
2011–12681052-3 3 260.1911693385th Midwest
2012–13681940-4 5 470.3462063125th Midwest
2013–14685214-2 0 1060.7793121702nd Midwest
2014–15685014-2 2 1040.7653312121st Midwest
2015–16685215-1 0 1050.7722691831st Midwest
2016–1718143-1 0 290.8069049--

Playoffs

References

  1. ↑ "LECOM becomes official medical provider...". Otters Hockey.com. Retrieved October 6, 2012.
  2. ↑ NHL Central Scouting's 2015 final rankings, National Hockey League, April 8, 2015
  3. ↑ Strang, Katie. "Highly touted prospect Connor McDavid goes No. 1 overall to Oilers". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 27, 2015.
  4. ↑ "Connor McDavid granted exceptional status, now eligible for OHL draft". National Post. March 21, 2012.
  5. ↑ Creamer, Chris. "New Otters Jersey Evokes Memories of the Blades". SportsLogos.net Blog. Retrieved 18 March 2013.

External links

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