The 2023-24 season for the Erie Otters came to an unfortunate end last week. Their season ended on home ice in Game 6 of their first-round series against the Kitchener Rangers in extra time. 2024 draft-eligible Luke Ellinas scored in overtime to send the Otters home for the season.
It was a bitter end to a season that saw the Otters return to the OHL playoffs for the first time since winning the OHL Championship in 2017. The team will look back at this defeat and see they could have easily won the series.
The six-game series went to overtime three times. The Rangers won all three in the extra period including twice at Erie Insurance Arena. They outplayed the Rangers in stretches throughout the series. But when the chips were down, Rangers’ goalie Jackson Parsons slammed the door to allow his team to find the wins needed.
Foundation Laid
The Otters will look back at 2023-24 and think what could have been. But a closer look at the situation shows a much brighter picture.
For the Otters, it never was actually about this season. The 2023-24 season was not thought of as an all-in go for a championship type season. It was a season to adjust to a new head coach in Stan Butler. It was a season to see their young stars grow and earn valuable ice time. They overcame several adversities including going through a number of goaltenders. They got hot at the right time and earned the fifth seed in the OHL’s Western Conference.
To go from 10th to 5th in one season is quite the accomplishment. It takes on even greater significance when you consider that this season was only the start of where the Otters hope to go.
The 2023-24 season was all about laying the foundation for future success. By this metric, the Otters met this expectation and even exceeded it to a certain degree.
Coach Butler said he wanted to really institute what being an Otter meant. That meant growth and development of their key players in an effort to help return the team to their glory years.
Young Players Responded
The core of the Erie Otters is centered around Malcolm Spence up front and then Matthew Schaefer on the back end. Each will enter their NHL Draft year in 2025. Both players took significant strides in their games in 2023-24.
Spence finished at almost a point per game. For any player to score at that level prior to their draft year is significant. Then add the fact that his defense took a step in the right direction. He’s primed to become a force in 2024-25.
Schaefer faced the task of having to play significant minutes as a 16-year old. As the season wore on, he got more comfortable with his role. He is primed to be one of the best offensive defensemen in the OHL in the coming years.
The list of contributors also includes the likes of Pano Fimis, Carey Terrance, Dylan Edwards, Ben Gaudreau, Spencer Sova, Martin Misiak, Ondrej Molnar and others. Collectively, their veteran presence was a nice mix with the young talent. The result was a playoff trip to give everyone the much-needed experience necessary to know what postseason hockey is like.
Questions Remain
Taking a quick look ahead to 2024-25 for the Otters, Gaudreau, Owain Johnston and Brett Bressette will all graduate as they were OA’s. The obvious question comes in net.
Jacob Gibbons is in line for now to start. Will the team look for outside help again like they did with Gaudreau. It cannot be understated how much his presence was felt in the Otters’ locker room. He was a leader on and off the ice. He had a tremendous impact on the young players in a mentoring capacity.
Most everyone else is eligible to return to the team. We’ll see what happens with the import players in Molnar and Misiak. The upcoming CHL import draft could play a role in how the team looks next season.
You May Also Like
- 2023-24 Erie Otters Laid Foundation for Future Success
- Windsor Spitfires Look For Immediate Help at 2024 OHL Draft
- Windsor Spitfires Name Ethan Belchetz Top Pick in 2024 OHL Draft
- Windsor Spitfires: 6 Questions for the Summer of 2024
- Erie Otters Taught Valuable Playoff Lesson in Game 3 Loss
The Otters also completed the OHL Priority Selection on Friday and Saturday. With the 10th overall pick, they selected forward Tyler Challenger. Then with the 25th overall pick, they took defenseman Lucas Ambrosio. The other name of note that could compete for a roster spot in 2024-25 was Michael D’Alessio, an offensively-minded defenseman who the Otters drafted in the fourth round.
The 2023-24 Otters had a goal to build for the future while seeing results on the ice. They have done that and laid the foundation for how the next couple of seasons could go. They’re now starting to think big things.
The pieces are in place for the Otters to compete for a potential spot in the top-four of the Western Conference next season and beyond. While they have questions they must answer, we’re starting to see the team head back in the right direction and towards what their standard is.
The end of 2023-24 was painful. But brighter days are ahead for these Erie Otters thanks to the way they executed their plan starting in 2022-23.
