The Erie Otters are a junior hockey team that plays in the Ontario Hockey League in Canada. The OHL is for amateur players who are looking to make an impression on scouts and possibly play professional hockey. Erie has been a member of the OHL since the 1996-97 season, when they were admitted to the league as an expansion team.http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/display_standings.php?tmi=5677

The Otters would win their first OHL championship in 2001-02 and, as a result, advanced to their first-ever Memorial Cup. The Otters would advance to the semifinals of the tournament, where they were eliminated by the Victoriaville Tigers in a 5-4 overtime loss.

The Otters finished the 2009-10 season in fourth place in the Midwest Division, with a record of 33-28-5-2. They totaled 73 points in the season, which was just enough for Erie to grab the final playoff spot in the OHL's Western Conference.http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/leagues/seasons/ohl19892010.html The Otters would go on to play the Windsor Spitfires in the first round of the playoffs. Windsor, who had the best record in the Western Conference, swept the Otters out of the playoffs in four straight games.http://www.tsn.ca/chl/feature/?id=7320

Erie was led in scoring by Zach Torquato, who had 31 goals and 62 assists to total 93 points on the season. The Otters' leading goal scorer was Anthony Luciani, who had 38 goals on the year. Erie's top goalie for the year was Adam Courchaine. Courchaine went 12-8-0, with a goals against average of 2.90 and a save percentage of .916.http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/leagues/seasons/teams/0008792010.html

A number of former Erie Otter players have gone on to play in the National Hockey League. One of these players, Brad Boyes, has had his number retired by the team. Other players who used to play for the Otters include Tim Connolly, Michael Rupp, and Chris Campoli. In the 2010 NHL Draft, two players from the Otters were drafted to the NHL. Greg McKegg was selected in the third round by the Toronto Maple Leafs and Andrew Yogan was taken in the fourth round by the New York Rangers.