Five Questions: Erie Otters

 

Erie Otters fans know all too well that sometimes in junior hockey, it’s darkest just before the dawn. After finishing at the bottom of the Western Conference last season, the franchise enters an exciting phase, with several names on the depth chart looking at potential breakouts in 2023-24. The Flagship City faithful also get to track the development of a first overall draft pick in Matthew Schaefer, who brings a smooth stride and well-rounded abilities to the Erie blue line this fall.

Five Questions looks at the Erie Otters, a franchise that has seen some very high peaks and the depths of a few valleys over the span of their 26-year history.

1. Is this the year the Otters turn the corner?

The Erie Otters franchise has given its fans some great memories over the years, with their latest OHL title coming in 2017 featuring a cast that included present day NHLers Alex DeBrincat, Dylan Strome, Anthony Cirelli, Erik Cernak, Warren Foegele and Taylor Raddysh. This was also Erie’s last trip to the OHL Playoffs, a span of five seasons that undoubtedly saw Otters management’s best-laid plans interrupted by a worldwide pandemic. Dave Brown and his staff have been busy picking up the pieces though, and return with 30-goal scorer Carey Terrance, a pair of former second overall OHL Draft picks in Malcolm Spence and Pano Fimis, as well as an intriguing group of potential overagers in Colby Saganiuk, Liam Gilmartin and Brett Bressette, who is making his way back from a season cut short by injury in 2022-23. Former first round pick Spencer Sova will be back to oversee operations on the blue line. Otters fans have reason for optimism moving into a fresh season as the roster in front of them offers a great deal of potential.

Bringing game-breaking speed to the Pond!

Get ready to #FlyTogether with @AnaheimDucks second round #NHLDraft pick Carey Terrance, who potted 30 with the @ErieOtters in 2022-23 🎥 pic.twitter.com/vjlHUD5tJa

— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) June 30, 2023

2. What’s Schaefer’s immediate impact?

No pressure, kid! The first overall pick of the 2023 OHL Priority Selection, Matthew Schaefer comes to Erie for camp later this summer with lots of playing time and opportunity in front of him. Schaefer, by all accounts, looks like a very mature young man ready to embrace the challenge after a great season for the Halton Hurricanes that also saw him win gold as a member of Ontario’s entry in the Canada Winter Games, scoring the tournament’s deciding goal. Schaefer grew up watching his older brother Johnathon play for the Niagara IceDogs, and now has the chance to live out his OHL dream, joining an Otters franchise that’s built-up a solid young core.

"He's taught me so much. Little things like being a good teammate and being a good leader."

Joining the @ErieOtters first overall in the 2023 #OHLDraft, blueliner Matthew Schaefer credits older brother and #OHLAlumni Johnathon for helping him become the player he is.

— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) June 26, 2023

3. Can Butler bring stability?

Sitting atop the league’s active head coaching games-coached leaderboard, Stan Butler enters his 26th season in the OHL having seen just about everything junior hockey has to offer. The Otters were in search of some stability and turned to Butler midway through a trying 2022-23 season to re-establish a foundation under a young and developing group of players. Having guided the Brampton/North Bay Battalion to 14 consecutive playoff appearances and a pair of conference titles between 2003-16, Butler has shown he can produce a program that is consistently competitive. He’ll set out to do that with a clean slate to start the season, accompanied by a former player on the bench as the Otters named former Battalion blueliner Ken Peroff an assistant coach last week.

Head coach Stan Butler shared what it means to add Matthew Schaefer to the @ErieOtters developing core. pic.twitter.com/XX0p8hREqG

— John Lydic (@ENNJohnLydic) April 21, 2023

4. Is there potential chemistry between Slovaks Molnar and Misiak?

Assuming first overall CHL Import Draft selection Martin Misiak arrives in Erie to start the 2023-24 season, it’ll be interesting to see the sort of chemistry that develops between he and fellow Slovak Ondrej Molnar on Erie’s forward corps. Molnar, who went undrafted this past summer, is no-doubt hungry to show NHL scouts what he can bring with a fresh season in front of him. Molnar recorded 19 points (4-15–19) in 34 games after arriving in Erie for the second half of 2022-23. Misiak was drafted by Chicago in the second round last month after helping guide the Youngstown Phantoms to a USHL championship. recording 10 points (2-8–10) in nine playoff games.

With the first-overall selection in the 2023 @CHLHockey Import Draft the Erie Otters are proud to select, @HockeySlovakia forward, Martin Misiak!

Welcome to Erie!

📰: https://t.co/jQi3pDhjN8 pic.twitter.com/0vi6flyCPk

— Erie Otters 🦦 (@ErieOtters) July 5, 2023

5. Can Lalonde or Downey provide the Otters with what they need in the crease?

The top-two goaltenders selected in the 2020 OHL Priority Selection, Kyle Downey (39th overall) and Nolan Lalonde (49th overall) split duty in the second half last season, both doing what they could to give a struggling Otters group a chance to win in a season going the wrong direction. Lalonde signed an entry-level NHL deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets out of training camp last year, but the season wasn’t a memorable one for the Kingston, Ont. native, who was voted to the OHL’s first all-rookie team and represented Canada at the U18 Worlds in 2022. Downey joined the Otters in October, getting a fresh start after things didn’t pan out in Windsor. Both entering their 19-year-old seasons, they’ll have more help in front of them this time as Erie tries to gain ground in the always-competitive Midwest Division. The Otters also have a late 2006-born prospect in Jacob Gibbons on the horizon, who they took in the second round of the 2022 OHL Priority Selection.

Take a bow, Nolan Lalonde! 🙇‍♂️

The @BlueJacketsNHL prospect was outstanding tonight for the @ErieOtters, stopping 44 of 44 shots in a 2-0 victory in Owen Sound 📽️ pic.twitter.com/HiO8U9ZGIL

— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) February 23, 2023

Five Questions is put together by Josh Sweetland (@joshsweetland). Follow along throughout the summer for an offseason look at all 20 OHL clubs.