Erie Otters Win 2023 OHL Priority Selection Lottery

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The 2022-23 season for the Erie Otters may be over. But their 2023-24 season got the ultimate kickstart on Wednesday night thanks to some luck.

The Otters came out on top and have won the 2023 OHL Priority Selection Lottery despite not having the best odds. Their 19th place finish ensured them a 30% chance to win the lottery. The Niagara Icedogs had a 40% chance to win.

This marks the second year in a row that the Otters benefited from the new OHL Draft Lottery System. In 2022, the Otters jumped up to the second overall spot where they selected Malcolm Spence.

How’d We Get Here?

The 2022-23 season for the Otters was a rough one. After a decent start, injuries and inconsistency caught up to them. It ultimately cost B.J. Adams his job.

In came Stan Butler to try to help rebuild the culture and standard that the Otters are generally known for. While wins didn’t come at the rate the team hoped for, there were some early signs that Butler’s influence was taking shape.

Stan Butler, OHL, Erie Otters
Stan Butler hopes to build the right culture in Erie. (Photo credit: OHL images)

Anyone who has followed Butler’s career knows that he is a no-nonsense kind of coach. He brings honesty and accountability everywhere he goes. This was evident towards the end of the season when he benched Liam Gilmartin after taking a 10-minute misconduct for jawing at the officials.

As Butler said postgame that night, “It’s a team first approach and when you’re more worried sometimes about yourself than the team, well there’s going to be consequences.” He was not afraid to make a statement even with the team way out of the playoff picture. This was about setting the tone for the rest of the season and beyond.

Butler did not have time on his side this season to do everything he wanted to do. He will now have the benefit of a full offseason to get things done. Winning the first pick certainly does not hurt that cause.

Brief History of First Pick With Otters

This marks the third time in Otters history that they’ve won the first overall pick. On the other two occasions, a lottery wasn’t involved. In both cases, the players selected worked out rather well for them.

First it was Ryan O’Reilly. Then it was Connor McDavid. Needless to say each had a dramatic impact on the franchise. Both have gone on to very successful NHL careers.

What First Pick Means Now?

Winning this lottery will ensure the Otters get a major piece to get back to where they want to go in the Western Conference. With the best center depth they’ve had in years in Pano Fimis and Carey Terrance in the fold, defenseman Spencer Sova potentially returning on the blue line, the team has a solid foundation upcoming.

Then we get to the impact of adding the first-overall pick to play with Spence. Most scouting services have Ryan Roobroeck ranked as the top available skater in the 2023 OHL Priority Selection. Given his performance and numbers, it’s easy to see why.

Should the Otters agree with the consensus and go with Roobroeck first overall, that duo has the potential to be one of the best 1-2 punches in the league for the next couple of seasons. Spence is 2025 NHL Draft eligible while Roobroeck is 2026 draft eligible. His late birthday gives him three OHL eligible years.

A couple other names to monitor just in case are William Moore, Brady Martin, Matthew Schaefer, Tyler Hopkins and Owen Griffin. Considering Roobroeck applied for but was denied OHL exceptional status, it’s pretty clear who the best available player is. Now it’s just a matter of if the Otters agree and make him the top pick.

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Regardless of who the Otters take first overall, they are getting a great player to add to a talented group. They haven’t been in the OHL Playoffs since they won the championship back in 2017. Thanks to their lottery win, brighter days seem to finally be returning to Erie Insurance Arena after some very lean years.