Othmann’s junior career marked by success at each stop
It’s always interesting to track the trajectory of players on a championship team. The 2019 OHL Cup champion Don Mills Flyers boasted some big names, but only one has laid hands on the J. Ross Robertson Cup.
Othmann, who scored the game-winning goal for Don Mills to defeat the Toronto Red Wings in the 2019 OHL Cup finale, achieved championship glory once again this past month, helping the Peterborough Petes defeat the London Knights to win Ontario’s top junior hockey prize for the 10th time in franchise history.
The first round NHL Draft pick of the New York Rangers led Peterborough in playoff scoring with 25 points (8-17–25) in 23 games.
“When I was drafted in this league and I was 16 I said I was going to win a championship,” Othmann reflected after the final buzzer. “I was drafted by a different team but to bring a championship to Peterborough is really special.”
Othmann and the Petes went on to recover from a slow start at the 2023 Memorial Cup presented by Kia, rallying from an 0-2 start to reach the semi-final where they lost to the WHL champion Seattle Thunderbirds.
Othmann, who was an OHL first team all-star in 2021-22 and a third team all-star this past season, saw his junior hockey road come to an end two wins shy of a Memorial Cup crown. He graduates as a member of a close-knit Peterborough squad.
“When you win a championship, it doesn’t matter with what team, your bond grows,” he said after the final loss in Kamloops. “I was on two World Junior teams and I was only on those teams for a month, and I am fortunate enough to have two gold medals, and I still talk to all of those guys. If you can imagine being with a team for a full year and winning a championship, just spending every day with those guys. It’s really special.”
An OHL Cup championship, OHL title, two World Junior gold medals, and don’t forget a gold at the 2021 World Under-18 Hockey Championship with Canada – a pretty good haul in a span of five years with a worldwide pandemic sandwiched in-between.
Othmann’s achievements in Flint should also be noted. The former second overall pick in the 2019 OHL Priority Selection became a franchise cornerstone for the Firebirds where he set the club’s single-season goal-scoring record with 50 as captain in 2021-22, helping the ‘Birds reach the Western Conference Championship Series for the first time in their history.
After a trade to Peterborough on Nov. 13, 2022, the Pickering, Ont. product helped the Petes navigate an up-and-down second half of the season before they hit their stride in the playoffs. He capped a decorated junior hockey career in championship style.
“Our team did an unbelievable job,” he reflected. “So many guys could have won the playoff MVP. Hayesy (Avery Hayes), Simmer (Michael Simpson) and Tucker (Robertson) all played unbelievable. When you have guys you can lean on and rely on, it’s so important. You can say you lead the team in points and stuff like that but in the playoffs that means nothing, you have to come as a team.”
After collecting 197 points (96-101–197) over 177 regular season OHL contests, Othmann enters the next chapter of his career, one with the New York Rangers organization. He signed an entry-level NHL contract with the Blueshirts on Aug. 12, 2021.
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