RELEASE: Erie Otters Awarded Second Overall in 2026 OHL Priority Selection
Erie, Pennsylvania — The results are in from the OHL Draft Lottery and the Erie Otters are thrilled to have been awarded the second overall pick in the 2026 OHL Priority Selection.
Following the OHL’s Draft Lottery process, the Erie Otters have been awarded the second overall pick in the OHL Priority Selection. This selection marks a huge milestone in the Otters development process and brings plenty of excitement around the organization heading into a landmark season of Otters hockey with the team celebrating their 30th season in the Ontario Hockey League.
This will mark the fourth time in team history that the Otters have held the second overall pick with the last time coming in 2022 when Erie drafted Malcolm Spence. The Mississauga native having a strong three seasons in the Flagship City, playing a huge part in Erie’s return to the postseason over the past two seasons, wearing an ‘A’ as alternate captain and scoring over 32 goals in 2024-25 before heading to the University of Michigan for the 2025-26 season. Spence’s time in Erie saw him selected in the second round of the NHL Entry Draft by the New York Rangers in 2025.
The other two times Erie picked second, they selected Greg McKegg in 2008 and Dylan Strome in 2013. McKegg played in Erie for parts of four OHL seasons, playing in over 230 games, where he captained the Otters for two of them, including a hard-fought 2010-11 season where he scored 49 goals. McKegg was selected in the third round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft and has gone on to play over 230 games in the National Hockey League. Strome was the heart and soul to Erie’s four-straight 50-win seasons, taking part in all of them. Strome played in over 200 games for the Otters and was also the captain of the 2015-16 Otters. A postseason hero, Strome would tally 34 points on his way to leading Erie to their second OHL championship. Erie’s all-time leading scorer would be picked third overall in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft and has gone on to play nearly 600 games in the National Hockey League.
This trio of players serves as the example of the elite players who the Otters are known to develop and what fans can expect from the next wave of talent making its way to the Flagship City.
General Manager Dave Brown spoke about the importance of this pick and what it means for the Otters organization, building something special around truly elite talent, with the blueprint in place.
“The draft period is an exciting phase during which we see new players such as Jake Murray, Tyler Cooper, Lydon Cabral and AJ Gladman become part of our lineup and shape what lies ahead,” Brown said. “The draft acts as the cornerstone for constructing the future. Prior to the draft, scouts and staff put in extensive work, observing over 2,000 games live during the winter despite challenging arena conditions. The draft invites everyone to participate in guiding your organization’s course for the upcoming year.”
Head Coach Kris Mallette spoke about the impact this pick will have on the 2026-27 Otters and how it will make the team better.
“Adding talent of this caliber doesn’t just fill a hole in our roster, it injects a new level of skill and competitiveness that makes everyone around them better,” Mallette said. “Next season we expect this pick to step in and provide a spark but the real value is the long term foundation they provide with our current players.”
The 2026 OHL Priority Selection marks the 31st in team history and the kick-off to the Otters’ 30th Season Celebration, with more details to come in the upcoming months on what will be an unforgettable year of Otters hockey, both on and off the ice.
This is the sixth consecutive season the OHL has implemented the Draft Lottery, with the first iteration taking place in the 2021 OHL Priority Selection. This marks the third time Erie has had a lottery pick in this era (2022, 2023) and the second time the Otters have had the second overall pick (2022).
The weighted system used by the OHL gave Erie a 30 percent chance of being awarded the first overall pick after Erie finished 19th in the OHL standings, with their highest chance being the second pick in the draft.
The OHL Priority Selection will be held in-person this season at Slush Puppie Place in Kingston on June 12 and 13, with Erie picking second on day one.
Player Eligibility
North American players born in 2010 and non-overage players that were not registered with an Ontario based U16 AAA team from protected OHL territories are eligible for selection in the 15 rounds of the 2026 OHL Priority Selection.
Selected Players in the OHL
OHL Member Teams are permitted to register a maximum of four 16-year-old players selected in the OHL Priority Selection. Those 16 year old players that are allowed to be signed are the first two 16-year-old players selected and a maximum of two additional 16-year-old wild carded players in any round of the OHL Priority Selection.
All other 16-year-old players selected are eligible to be called up as an “affiliated player” or “floating affiliate player” for a maximum of 10 games or for any OHL regular season or playoff games when such player’s team has been eliminated from competition for that season.
Keep up with the #2 overall pick and all the Otters picks and results on OttersHockey.com or across the Otters’ social media. For all results of the 2026 Priority Selection, please head to OntarioHockeyLeague.com.
For the latest Otters news, visit OttersHockey.com, or follow the team on Facebook (Facebook.com/erieottershockey), Twitter (@ErieOtters), and Instagram (@ErieOtters).
For further information on the Erie Otters and for media inquiries, please contact Trevor Kubeja at trevorkubeja@ottershockey.com.
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