Erie Otters 2015 Off-Season Thread

[EON]

Next season's roster:

Forwards:

LW Kyle Maksimovich '98
LC Shaun Bily '98
LW Mason Marchment '95 *OA Candidate
RC Alex DeBrincat '97
LC Kyle Pettit '96
RW Taylor Raddysh '98
LC Dylan Strome '97
LW Patrick Fellows '97
LC Quentin Maksimovich '96
RC Jake Marchment '95 *OA Candidate (If returned by LA)
RW Nick Betz '95 *OA Candidate
RW Vanya Lodnia '99
LC Frank Pucci '97
LW Riley MacRae '97

Prospects:
RC Brett Neumann '99 (2015 3rd)
RW Jack Gill '98 (2014 8th)
LW Christian Girhiny '98 (2014 11th)
LW Holdyn Lansink '98 (2014 12th)
RW Nicholas Celotti '99 (2015 5th)

Defense:

LD Travis Dermott '96
RD Darren Raddysh '96
LD TJ Fergus '97
RD Patrick Murphy '95 *OA Candidate
LD Mitchell Byrne '98
LD Taylor Egan '98

Prospects:

RD Zack Hoffman '98 (2014 7th)
RD Jordan Sambrook '98 (2014 10th)
LD Josh Wainman '99 (2015 4th)
LD Ryan Martin '99 (2015 4th)

Goalies:

G Devin Williams '95 *OA Candidate
G Daniel Dekoning '96
G Jake Lawr '98

Prospects:

G Colton Point '98 (2014 14th)

Click to read more...

 

[Duke Guy]

The Otters are losing 8 players from their roster, one of them being not just your average player.

 

[EON]

The Otters are losing 8 players from their roster, one of them being not just your average player.

I count six right now:

McDavid, Elie, Baptiste, MacDermid, Donnay, and Genovese. Strome will be back, who knows about Jake Marchment.

They will be good in net, perhaps better assuming Williams is gone. The offense should still be pretty good next season (obviously not as good) but the defense is looking pretty shaky past Dermott and Raddysh.

 

[three dog night]

Congrats on your good season a bouncehere and there the final may have been different.

 

[hockeylegend11]

Ideal o/a players would be Jake Marchment and Nick Betz, and I would take Murphy as the 3rd
Trade Williams and Mason Marchment there will be takers for both.

 

[EON]

Ideal o/a players would be Jake Marchment and Nick Betz, and I would take Murphy as the 3rd
Trade Williams and Mason Marchment there will be takers for both.

If Jake Marchment is returned, I defintely agree with this. They will need Betz to improve another level for some firepower on the wings, having Strome-Marchment-Pettit down the middle would be solid.

Murphy definitely improved from last season to this season but there is still some work to be done. I'm hoping he has another great offseason and can be a similar player to 2013-2014 Spencer Abraham for Erie. With how weak Erie projects to be on the back end they have to keep him.

 

[EON]

A few big things for Erie this offseason:

1. Import draft - it was a failure this past season and they still almost won a title despite not a single import on the roster. If they can manage to add a potential top six wing or a top 4 dman with their first pick, that would be terrific

2. Signings - They need to get Neumann locked up, would be nice to sign Wainman, Martin, and Celotti as well. Though I think those 3 will be in Jr. A or Jr. B next season for more experience.

3. Trades - Provided Jake Marchment is returned I think he, Betz, and Murphy should be the OA's. This means they should be looking to move Williams and Mason Marchment for whatever they can get. Should also possibly look to add a '96 dman for the third pairing.

4. Coaching Staff - This is huge, I really hope they can get the coaching staff extended. These guys do a great job.

5. Probably the biggest one of all, Ownership. Who will end up buying the team? Will they keep them in Erie? Things have certainly looked much brighter lately.

Well that's all for me now, going to take a break from this forum for a while. It was a tough pill to swallow there at the end, but overall a great season.

 

[Duke Guy]

The Otters are losing these 4: McDavid, Genovese, MacDermid and Donnay.

Plus they are losing 4 of the following players: Baptiste, Elie, J, Marchment, M. Marchment, Betz, Murphy and Williams.

4 + 4 = 8.

 

[EON]

My point is they're losing six to graduation.

The others will be based upon trades or moves.

 

[h10*]

Erie is in good shape for a typical "rebuild" year. Trade Williams to start year and have Dekoning and Lawr in net. Let them develop. Have Strome, Dermott and Raddysh play out the year until the deadline. One would expect the best Erie could hope for is a 5th or 6th seed at that point. They don't have the assets to go for it again so I'm trading Strome. He could turn in a big return. Dermott should be big as well and Raddysh would add valuable 3-4 depth to any top team plus experience of a bunch of playoff time. That alone could fetch 6-8 draft picks and 1-3 young players.

Then ride out a tougher second half. Still should make the playoffs as a 7th or 8th seed and get some experience there and look towards a young group in 2016-2017.

This team could be impressive in 2017-2018. Far ahead but seems like the next real chance they will have.
Debrincat
T. Raddysh
K. Maksimovich
Fellows
Bily
Lodnia
Neumann

Potentially could be their top forwards. Add an import and other trades and that could be a solid forward group. Not to mention future draft years as well. Debrincat and T. Raddysh are certainly top 2 line players and one would expect if Kyle Mak can get bigger he will be there in a year or 2. Bily didn't see much ice this year but I liked what I saw. Look for him and fellows to be 3rd line players next year and maybe one will turn into a top 6 down the line. Have to expect that lodnia can be a top guy as well and Neumann has tremendous potential so getting him would be huge.

Hopefully by 2017-18 Lawr is a legit goalie as well.

That's my 3 year plan. I think it's reasonable to expect a successful team in 3 years based on their young talent at forward, trade assests which they can get next year through big names, and potential top goalie in Lawr. Will come down to getting guys to sign like Neumann, free agents, and import.

 

[Duke Guy]

My point is the Otters are losing 8 players off their current roster who won't be on the team next year.

 

[h10*]

My point is the Otters are losing 8 players off their current roster who won't be on the team next year.

Erie is very young.
Debrincat-F
T. Raddysh-F
K. Maksimovich-F
Bily-F
Fellows-F
Fergus-D
Dekoning-G


All played role on this team

Add in draft players
McRae-F
Egan-D
Byrne-D
(All saw a little time this year)

Plus top prospects:
Lawr - G
Lodnia - F
Neumann -F (if signed)

Those are all 17 and under players who have mostly seen time at this level but will likely all be on the roster next year.

8 forwards
3 defensemen
2 goalies
All 16 or 17 to start season. Very young core. Obviously you will lose a lot when you go for it 2 years straight but I'm looking forward to see this team develop. If Neumann signs and plays in Erie next year I have to think that Erie could have the best young developing forwards in the league

 

[PhlyerPhanatic31]

A tip of the hat to The Otters and their fans for the run this season. No reason to hang your heads at all...great run, great team, great fans(some)

PP31

 

[h10*]

For those who think Mcdavid didn't earn the 99 award because he did nothing in the finals...

Well he finished with 49 points in 20 games to end his ohl career. Had 7 points in 5 games in the finals and although I admit he wasn't as impressive he still was the best player on the ice and if it wasn't for constant hacking and cross checking that some Oshawa players got away with on him and guys like Nick Betz finished their chances he probably ends up with 10-12 points to take the record books. And almost a guarantee that if this series goes to 6 or 7 he at least ties the record
But regardless the 99 award is for the MVP of the playoffs.. Not the finals. And he was the most dominant player one has seen through 3 rounds and was still energetic in this round. This was as much about an outstanding once in a lifetime player who finished out his career and playoffs strong. He earned it seeing as how he has been the most electric player in the last 2+ years.
From all fans here in Erie,
Thank you Connor Mcdavid. You are better than advertised and will go down as the best Erie Otter.

 

[h10*]

A tip of the hat to The Otters and their fans for the run this season. No reason to hang your heads at all...great run, great team, great fans(some)

PP31

Thank you. Although it hurts being mcdavid's last year and Erie won't ever see a player to his caliber again, they still have a pretty nice young core and with new owners (who it's looking like they likely keep team in Erie) the future is actually the brightest it has been in Erie

 

[CharlieGirl]

Congrats, Otter fans - while the season didn't end the way you all hoped, you had one hell of a season and got to watch one of the best junior players I've ever seen every night.

It hurts now, but when you look back on this magical season and the Western Conference champion banners, it'll feel a lot better.

 

[PhlyerPhanatic31]

I count six right now:

McDavid, Elie, Baptiste, MacDermid, Donnay, and Genovese. Strome will be back, who knows about Jake Marchment.

They will be good in net, perhaps better assuming Williams is gone. The offense should still be pretty good next season (obviously not as good) but the defense is looking pretty shaky past Dermott and Raddysh.

I wouldn't bank on Strome being back. If he goes top 5...I say he's gone

 

[h10*]

I wouldn't bank on Strome being back. If he goes top 5...I say he's gone

His skating is subpar. Don't think he is close to ready for the next level. Other than his shot he doesn't have anything ready for the NHL. His hockey awareness and stick ability could also use improvement. Also for being a big man he never really uses his body

Whoever picks him and if he makes the NHL team it's either a) he really dramatically improves in the offseason in all phases, specifically skating and awareness. Or b) the team that brings him up right away is rushing him which will only hurt his development and might make him a bust. Currently though I say he isn't ready and there is a strong possibility he is back unless he dramatically improves over the next few months

 

[h10*]

Congrats, Otter fans - while the season didn't end the way you all hoped, you had one hell of a season and got to watch one of the best junior players I've ever seen every night.

It hurts now, but when you look back on this magical season and the Western Conference champion banners, it'll feel a lot better.

Only hurts for me because of Mcdavid. Really wanted him to win here. Erie won in 2002 without Mcdavid and every team in ohl has won without Mcdavid so I'm not too upset over that. Yes it was a talented team but if new management is any better than bassin in terms of consistency (which won't be hard to top) then Erie will have more chances to win down the line. Surprisingly Erie was one of the younger teams with 12 of 25 forwards and defensemen who saw ice time this year being a 1997 or 98 born. They are in decent shape for the future

But to not see Mcdavid win here is the real pain of this one. I remember back when he was introduced as a 15 year old rookie and thought Erie had a strong chance to win a chamionship with him cause let's be honest that is the goal when you get a generational talent/franchise player. When asked last night after the loss about Erie mcdavid paused to let it sink in.. You could tell he was fighting tears and he called Erie his second home and always having a place in his heart. Hurts to hear him say that and acknowledge the best fans in league. But you could tell it came from his heart and that he will truly always love this city. That right there and the memories he made is worth the heartache now. He was just such a phenomenal kid even though his expectations were over the top. Carried himself in such a way that Erie will forever miss these days when looking back in one year, five years, a decade, and beyond

 

[aresknights]

Erie finished up a good run, gave it all they had, just got beat by a better team in this series. No shame in that. Players and fans can hold there heads high.
McDavid will be missed by the Erie faithful and fans around the league. Hopefully the franchise can build on the momentum 97 built up for them.
You'll never forget the crazy home PO atmosphere, getting past SSM when few thought they could and watching McNextOne put on a nightly clinic for three years.

Best of luck next year and after,

 

[EON]

I wouldn't bank on Strome being back. If he goes top 5...I say he's gone

I'm very confident Strome will be back. His strength, skating, and compete level are not up to NHL standards yet. He had trouble keeping up with the pace of the Greyhounds, the NHL is a whole different level.

Big centers also usually seem to be a bit of projects that take longer to develop. I'm sure he'll have a good summer and improve but if a team places him in the NHL next season they're rushing him imo.

Erie finished up a good run, gave it all they had, just got beat by a better team in this series. No shame in that. Players and fans can hold there heads high.
McDavid will be missed by the Erie faithful and fans around the league. Hopefully the franchise can build on the momentum 97 built up for them.
You'll never forget the crazy home PO atmosphere, getting passed SSM when few thought they could and watching McNextOne put on a nightly clinic for three years.

Best of luck next year and after,

very well said, and thanks.

 

[PhlyerPhanatic31]

His skating is subpar. Don't think he is close to ready for the next level. Other than his shot he doesn't have anything ready for the NHL. His hockey awareness and stick ability could also use improvement. Also for being a big man he never really uses his body

Whoever picks him and if he makes the NHL team it's either a) he really dramatically improves in the offseason in all phases, specifically skating and awareness. Or b) the team that brings him up right away is rushing him which will only hurt his development and might make him a bust. Currently though I say he isn't ready and there is a strong possibility he is back unless he dramatically improves over the next few months

Many of the same flaws I see in his game from top to bottom are what you have listed. I don't rate him in my top 10 at all..but then again I'm not an NHL scout, so take that at face value. I see a very one dimensional player that doesn't really know 200ft of the ice yet...lots of work to do in all areas in my opinion. That said...I still say depending on who drafts him and if he goes top 5..I don't think he'll be back. You're correct though...no where near NHL ready..but players stick all the time that us fans feel should be back in the OHL. London gets one a year it seems.

 

[h10*]

Many of the same flaws I see in his game from top to bottom are what you have listed. I don't rate him in my top 10 at all..but then again I'm not an NHL scout, so take that at face value. I see a very one dimensional player that doesn't really know 200ft of the ice yet...lots of work to do in all areas in my opinion. That said...I still say depending on who drafts him and if he goes top 5..I don't think he'll be back. You're correct though...no where near NHL ready..but players stick all the time that us fans feel should be back in the OHL. London gets one a year it seems.

I think his potential is great though if you are willing to let him develop another 2-3 years. He will improve. He managed 129 points and a scoring title and can be even better. If his skating and knowledge of the game improves he will be potential force. Ryan Strome was similar in terms of taking a bit to develop and I see the same from Strome. Give him good coaching and developing training in the summer and he will improve. As a top 5 pick he will get the attention from team staff on to what he needs to work on and the resources he needs

 

[PhlyerPhanatic31]

I think his potential is great though if you are willing to let him develop another 2-3 years. He will improve. He managed 129 points and a scoring title and can be even better. If his skating and knowledge of the game improves he will be potential force. Ryan Strome was similar in terms of taking a bit to develop and I see the same from Strome. Give him good coaching and developing training in the summer and he will improve. As a top 5 pick he will get the attention from team staff on to what he needs to work on and the resources he needs

No argument on his pedigree and potential. With the right polish he'll shine for many years.

 

[h10*]

No argument on his pedigree and potential. With the right polish he'll shine for many years.

That's the key though. If a team rushes him he is done. One of those project players but if you can suck it up for a bit and not have him see any NHL time for at least 1-2 years, a team will be rewarded