Otters Mourn Loss of Longtime Scout Walt Wingfield
Erie, Pennsylvania – The Erie Otters are heartbroken and deeply saddened to receive the news of the passing of longtime scout and team architect Walt Wingfield.
Walt has been part of the Erie Otters organization since the franchise moved to the gem city from Niagara Falls, Ontario in 1996. He served as a scout his first three years in Erie before being promoted to head scout. He’s worked as the team’s scouting administrator in recent years. Walt was an integral builder of the Otters two OHL Championships teams in 2002 and 2017.
“Walter has been with the Otters since our early days. Everyone in the organization will sorely miss his witty personality and infectious, cheerful laugh,” said Dave Brown, Erie Otters Vice President of Operations and General Manager. “Walter made a point of making everyone feel comfortable and important, and I think we will all remember him for not only the stories of his time in Erie, but also the subtle scouting traits he passed on to everyone. I’m not alone in saying the Otters organization will miss him dearly.”
Walt was a hockey lifer, beginning with his playing days in the Ontario Hockey Association. He began his scouting career with the Oshawa Generals in the 1970s and would go on to help build a Memorial Cup champion Guelph Platers team in 1986. A decade later Walt got a call from his former Oshawa Generals general manager, Sherry Bassin, to join the scouting staff of the Erie Otters in 1996 and has been with the team for it’s near 25-year residency on the shores of Lake Erie.
The Otters organization sends our deepest condolences and prayers to Walt’s family, friends, and loved ones.
Once an Otter, always an Otter
