Erie Otters 2022 Off-season Thread

[NOA]

Does anyone have an update on CHL draft order? The draft is 7/1, so just a month away, but shocker that the OHL isn’t transparent with the order. Last year the order was in reverse of the lottery order. This year the OHL only did a lottery for the top 4 teams… so is it going to be reverse for just those 4 teams or just follow the same OHL lottery order?

The OHL picks 2nd this year, so the Otters are either sitting at 5th overall or (if they do reverse order of OHL lotto) at 8th overall. Regardless, they have a top 10 pick. Given that no Russians are eligible, it’s definitely important to be higher up. I won’t hold my breath that we land anyone because our import track regard is garbage. That said, the last time they pick this high or top 10 was Burakovsky in 2013 (5th overall) and Dansk in 2012 (3rd overall). They desperately need to land a player here

 

[Mata]

Slafkovsky at least made the trip over for the NHL combine, now if we can just deny his flight back! Hahahaha

All joking aside people made comments he was tbe Ivan Drago of youth hockey and he was absolutely huge compared to all the other guys there.

Please, please, please report!!!

 

[NOA]

Slafkovsky at least made the trip over for the NHL combine, now if we can just deny his flight back! Hahahaha

All joking aside people made comments he was tbe Ivan Drago of youth hockey and he was absolutely huge compared to all the other guys there.

Please, please, please report!!!

As much as it would be nice and is technically still possible, the problem is he is likely going to be in the NHL next year haha. Or at least that’s what some project. I can’t see him coming now. Erie will be picking 5th overall in the import draft and they better get that guy to report rather than worrying about Slafkovsky

 

[GetOutDaKitchin]

In Corey Pronman's article in The Athletic today (NHL Draft Confidential: What scouts and executives think about the No. 1 pick and more), he polled a number of NHL scouts and executives regarding this year's draft crop. One of the questions he asked was which prospect had the best shot? Only prospects who received more than one vote were listed. Among the six selected: Christian Kyrou. High praise.

Knew he had a rocket, but neat to see NHL brass considering it among the best in this draft class.

I'm calling it right now: Kyrou scores 30+ for us next year.

 

[NOA]

In Corey Pronman's article in The Athletic today (NHL Draft Confidential: What scouts and executives think about the No. 1 pick and more), he polled a number of NHL scouts and executives regarding this year's draft crop. One of the questions he asked was which prospect had the best shot? Only prospects who received more than one vote were listed. Among the six selected: Christian Kyrou. High praise.

Knew he had a rocket, but neat to see NHL brass considering it among the best in this draft class.

I'm calling it right now: Kyrou scores 30+ for us next year.

Thanks for sharing. Erie has no excuse on the backend. Not only do they return every guy if they want to, but they have a good blend of skill sets. Kyrou / Sova more offensive. Morton / Thompson / Kulakov as bigger bodies.

 

[OttersFan]

Did they fire everyone on the Otters staff? Lots of positions available.

 

[NOA]

Hamilton wins their second championship since Erie last won in 2017. Erie hasn’t even made the playoffs since that time.

This should frustrate you as an Otters fan. Again, I know their rebuild was a lot more than any team in OHL history probably faced but Hamilton isn’t London and they just won 2 titles in their first 7 years as a franchise. I’m not frustrated that we haven’t won a title since 2017. I knew it would be some time to get to the top. That said, not making the playoffs for 4 years and being the same consistent ~25 win team is inexcusable in a league with so much turnover and 90% of the teams making the playoffs.

Their approach from 2013-2017 was flawed, which cost them to deplete all their assets. This made the hole that much deeper to climb out of and with no tools to help them do it. I’ll keep repeating myself until the day I die - Bassin botched it in 2013-2015 or the McDavid years. They were close but they didn’t have a goalie and no imports on the roster in 2015. Not to mention poor trades the year before. If they get past the finals in 2015, they likely win a memorial cup and you can rebuild properly with huge assets to sell off in Dermottt, Strome, Debrincat, etc. Sorry, I’ll never let that go. It forced them to chase a title the next 2 years when they should have been restocking picks.

Regardless of all that, you still had a chance to be in better shape the last 4-5 years but you failed to manage assets (Lodnia, Golden, Sopa trades are especially horrendous), you couldn’t draft/land any import talent, and you stuck with the same garbage coach for 4 years. Hamilton went through 3 coaches in 3 years after their title run in 2018.

The management or operations of this team is subpar. Dave Brown should not only be on a hot seat, he should be sitting in lava. They simply don’t identify the issues or take too long to address. Hartsburg should have been done after 2 years. Finally he’s out of the picture and all we do is promote from within? It’s amateur and cheap. Like that’s the BEST option we could go with? I’m tired of it and losing my patience. The 2005-2012 years were rough but this might be worse because you had 4 years of success, McDavid, a new arena, and a great coach. You couldn’t even build off that?!?

 

[Guy In Burlington]

Minor correction: Spence shoots left, not right.

 

[Guy In Burlington]

I have known the Spences for about 10 years and you guys should know your team has picked a fine, fine young man who is going to work his tail off. His parents are both extremely hard-working and successful people and they’ve instilled that same ethic in their kids. His older sister is also an incredible talent and she works her tail off at her craft too.

Malcolm is extremely mature for his age, and while I don’t know him as well as I know his parents, I have come away impressed with the kid every time I’ve spoken to him. I’m looking forward to seeing the kid develop next year. He has everything fans should appreciate in a player, both on and off the ice.

 

[NOA]

I have known the Spences for about 10 years and you guys should know your team has picked a fine, fine young man who is going to work his tail off. His parents are both extremely hard-working and successful people and they’ve instilled that same ethic in their kids. His older sister is also an incredible talent and she works her tail off at her craft too.

Malcolm is extremely mature for his age, and while I don’t know him as well as I know his parents, I have come away impressed with the kid every time I’ve spoken to him. I’m looking forward to seeing the kid develop next year. He has everything fans should appreciate in a player, both on and off the ice.

Reminds me of McDavid and Drysdale in terms of personality. Those both worked out really well. When you can blend off ice and maturity with skill then you have a chance to be special. Certainly excited to see the future now that Erie has a real prospect to build around

 

[NOA]

Erie picks 5th in the Import Draft next week. If not for the lottery, we would have the 11th pick. Really can’t afford to waste this pick on a no show. But also probably need a real impact player. Huge draft pick

 

[You Otter Be There]

Great to see two former Otters (André Burakovsky and Kurtis MacDermid) hoist the Stanley Cup! That’s five years in a row now.

 

[NOA]

5 years in a row is tied for the best CHL active streak with only London. Though Erie is the only team to have 5 straight years of their own drafted players winning it all

 

[OttersFan]

Wes Wolfe rejoins the coaching staff. So much for a change in scenery as a whole.

Maybe with his head coaching gig he’s able to bring something new. It’s the same revolving door around here for the coaching staff.

 

[Mata]

Wes Wolfe rejoins the coaching staff. So much for a change in scenery as a whole.

Maybe with his head coaching gig he’s able to bring something new. It’s the same revolving door around here for the coaching staff.

100% speculation, but it makes me wonder if he left because he was at such odds with Hartsburg and they couldn't co-exist. The fans seemed to really love Wes in his last season with us so I could see Hartsburg wanting him gone or being threatened.

I called it when he stepped down that he may he headed back here. Not sure what to make of all of this. It will take time to process, but I give a lot of credit to @NOA for his thoughts. This to me signals an all in from Dave Brown. If they aren't above mediocrity the entire staff need replaced before next season including Dave Brown himself. He is doubling down now on a young and unproven staff, arguably his best roster since 2017, and if results don't arrive this season, I don't think there is much faith left in the organization.

 

[NOA]

100% speculation, but it makes me wonder if he left because he was at such odds with Hartsburg and they couldn't co-exist. The fans seemed to really love Wes in his last season with us so I could see Hartsburg wanting him gone or being threatened.

I called it when he stepped down that he may he headed back here. Not sure what to make of all of this. It will take time to process, but I give a lot of credit to @NOA for his thoughts. This to me signals an all in from Dave Brown. If they aren't above mediocrity the entire staff need replaced before next season including Dave Brown himself. He is doubling down now on a young and unproven staff, arguably his best roster since 2017, and if results don't arrive this season, I don't think there is much faith left in the organization.

Yup this will all be on Dave. The coaching staff is basically the same guys that were all once here during this crap 5 year stretch. The only difference is Hartsburg is out. They better start actually developing their draft picks …

 

[NOA]

Ontario Hockey League

The OHL consists of 20 member teams, including 17 in the province of Ontario as well as three in the United States, with two in the state of Michigan and one in the state of Pennsylvania.

ontariohockeyleague.com

 

[EON]

Glad to see Wes brought back on. This is definitely a huge season. If they under-perform again I would hope Waters cleans house, GM and the entire coaching staff.

The import draft is huge tomorrow. They have to land a top 6 forward that will report with that #5 pick. It will be interesting to see if they use the 2nd pick. If they do, that's probably a signal Kulakov isn't returning.

Also, Erie just traded Thompson to SSM for a 2026 10th. They acquired him for a 2024 9th but they got close to getting the same value back. I think they are likely going with Cohen/Sedore/Morton as the OAs and going with Gibbons as the back up, but we'll see.

 

[HockeyPops]

What can you tell me about Thomson? Where did he play in the lineup, any special teams, and what kind of a player is he? Cheers.

 

[Mata]

What can you tell me about Thomson? Where did he play in the lineup, any special teams, and what kind of a player is he? Cheers.

I think he's just a plain old consistent defender. He isn't flashy, he isn't the best on the ice so you know what you're getting. He was mostly used in the 2nd and 3rd line pairing. His greatest asset heading into his OA year will hopefully be to mentor younger players and play mistake free hockey.

I honestly don't really have any criticism of him in what I saw and it sucks he had to leave. I would have loved to keep him, but the OA situation here was almost set in stone before the season started.

 

[HockeyPops]

Right shot, correct?

 

[Mata]

Glad to see Wes brought back on. This is definitely a huge season. If they under-perform again I would hope Waters cleans house, GM and the entire coaching staff.

The import draft is huge tomorrow. They have to land a top 6 forward that will report with that #5 pick. It will be interesting to see if they use the 2nd pick. If they do, that's probably a signal Kulakov isn't returning.

Also, Erie just traded Thompson to SSM for a 2026 10th. They acquired him for a 2024 9th but they got close to getting the same value back. I think they are likely going with Cohen/Sedore/Morton as the OAs and going with Gibbons as the back up, but we'll see.

They have Slafkovsky and Kulakov as their imports. Last I heard Kulakov was supposed to come back mid July, however if they are using a pick at number 5 it has to mean one of the two they don't see coming here at all this season.

 

[HockeyPops]

Thanks, I have learned not to trust player bios for things like handedness. I have seen more mistakes than I care to count.

 

[Mata]

Right shot, correct?

Yes, and a bigger defender as well.

 

[NOA]

They have Slafkovsky and Kulakov as their imports. Last I heard Kulakov was supposed to come back mid July, however if they are using a pick at number 5 it has to mean one of the two they don't see coming here at all this season.

I’m not sure how much they can protect rights to Slafkovsky having not signed him yet. Always fuzzy on the import rules. Either way - Slafkovsky is a top 2, at worst top 3, pick in the upcoming draft. He’s borderline NHL ready with his size but if not, AHL eligible. No chance he’s here. But let’s play the what if game - what if Slafkovksy told the Otters he wants to be here if not in the NHL to start. Then Erie should be getting rid of Kulakov and still using the 5th overall pick. There is ZERO reason to waste or pass on 5th overall, especially when it would be for the less than 1% that Slafkovksy comes here for a year or less. They need to be getting an impact player they can have for 2-3 years. No excuses.

Thompson trade was predictable. Even without Kulakov (who likely returns), they have Sova, Kyrou, Morton, Johnston, Alboim, Sauder. Not to mention any 2003-2005 players. Logjam on the backend and it doesn’t make sense to keep Thompson and have him block other young guys from getting ice. You could say the same about the forward spot with Sedore but the difference is you get 12 forwards and only 6 defensemen in a game. With forwards, there is just more flexibility and you would rather have the logjam there. I would still look to trade Sedore if they can get something valuable and land an import forward/their young guys take a jump. They don’t need to carry 3 OAs…

It would make some sense to target a goalie with the 2nd round import pick if they weren’t getting Kulakov back. But again, I think they stick with Kulakov. I don’t like the idea of using a backup goalie spot on an OA, let alone one like Campbell who has yet to prove any consistency and is coming off major surgery. I also don’t want to throw Gibbons in there because it could hurt development if rushed. Lalonde needs a vet presence or at least an improved talent compared to Nicholls. We can’t just ride Lalonde for 50 games. He needs pushed because he also needs to get much better to be successful or a legit #1 guy. If they don’t fix the goalie situation, it’s not going to matter what else they do. Having one of the historically worst goalie pairs this past year was a good chunk of the problem. Needs to be fixed one way or another and they don’t have the major assets to do it. Exploring it through the import draft makes sense to me but I’m not predicting it happens