Erie Otters

The Erie Otters are a Major junior ice hockey team based in Erie, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Midwest Division of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), one of only three American teams in the circuit.

History
The Erie Otters were previously located in Niagara Falls, Ontario, where they were called the Niagara Falls Thunder. They moved to Erie Insurance Arena in downtown Erie in time for the 1996–97 season. After three seasons of mediocrity in Erie, they won the Midwest Division's Holody Trophy in 1999.

It was their first of three consecutive Midwest Division championships, culminating in a J. Ross Robertson Cup in the 2001–02 season.

Additionally, Dave MacQueen won the Matt Leyden Trophy in 2000–01 as the OHL Coach of the Year and Sherwood Bassin was awarded OHL Executive of the Year for his role in building a championship team as general manager. The Erie Otters were the second U.S. team to win the OHL Championship, following the 1994–95 season champions Detroit Junior Red Wings (now the Plymouth Whalers).

Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) officially partnered with the Erie Otters in 2012 as their official medical provider.

On March 18, 2017, the Erie Otters became the first team in Canadian Hockey League history to record four consecutive 50-win seasons in a row (2013–17).

The Otters had previously shared the record of three consecutive 50-win seasons with the Kelowna Rockets (2012–15), Edmonton Oil Kings (2011–14), Saint John Sea Dogs (2009–12) and the Kamloops Blazers (1989–92).

The Connor McDavid era (2012-15)
Connor McDavid (a Canadian center) played for the Erie Otters from 2012 to 2015, before joining the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL).

The Otters chose him as their first overall pick in the OHL Priority Selection Draft. The NHL Central Scouting Bureau subsequently named him the top North American prospect for the 2015 NHL Entry Draft where the Oilers selected him first overall.

The Greater Toronto Hockey League named Connor "Player of the Year" for the 2011–12 season following a record of 79 goals and 130 assists. Hockey Canada, the governing body for amateur hockey in Canada, granted him "Exceptional Player" status which permitted him to play in the OHL a year earlier than would otherwise be permissible for a player his age.

Connor was only the third player to receive that status, after John Tavares and Aaron Ekblad.