But he finished the 2009-10 season at forward.

Austin’s versatility led to increased ice time. Yet, defense remained his first choice. “I talked to the coaches and said that’s what I want to play this year,” Austin said before Thursday’s scrimmage at Tullio Arena. “That’s what I focused on all summer with my skating coach.”

Now he will get his wish. Sherry Bassin, Otters managing partner and general manager, said Austin will return to defense for the 2010-11 season. He has defense this week at training camp.

Austin joins five defensemen in the rotation – Brett Cook, Mitch Gaulton, Derek Holden, Tyler Hostetter and David Shields – who have at least two full seasons of OHL experience. Bassin said the team will carry eight defensemen to start of the regular season. That leaves two open spots for players such as Adam Pelech, a 2010 second-round pick, and Evan Accettura.

* Looking sharp: The Otters have formed an expanded partnership with United Way, headlined by United Way Night on Oct. 16 at Tullio Arena, club officials announced at a news conference on Wednesday. The Otters will face the Ottawa 67′s wearing special gray sweaters, pants and socks with red, white and blue trim. The words “LIVE UNITED” appear on the lower back of the sweater.

Proceeds from ticket and jersey sales will benefit the United Way’s 2010 Campaign.

“Together, united, we can inspire hope and create opportunities for a better tomorrow,” R.J. Zonna, United Way of Erie County’s senior vice president, said in a prepared statement.

The Otters will have a second specialty jersey night on Feb. 5 against the Windsor Spitfires to celebrate the 15-year-old franchise’s 1,000th game. The design will be unveiled at a later date, along with the list of Otters’ alumni attending the game.

* A different Gazdic: Mark Gazdic has worn his older brother Luke‘s Texas Stars helmet during training camp this week. “It feels cool,” said the younger Gazdic, who was able to wear it since Luke, who’s in the Dallas Stars‘ organization, will attend NHL training camp later this month.

But don’t expect him to play like his brother, the Otters’ former physical winger. There are few similarities between their styles. Mark, a defenseman and the Otters’ 10th-round pick in the 2009 OHL draft, prefers a finesse approach, since he’s smaller (6 feet, 170 pounds) than Luke, who’s listed at 6 feet 3 inches and 228 pounds.

“I’m more agile and I make good plays,” he said. Mark will play a physical game, as he proved in separate fights against fellow 2009 pick Johnny McGuire on Wednesday and veteran Brett Appio on Thursday. In contrast, Luke was one of the OHL’s most feared fighters.

“It’s not my style of game,” Mark said.

* Memorable experience: Goaltender Adam Wood experienced it all in his two-game trial by fire with the Otters last season.

On New Year’s Eve in St. Catharines, Ontario, the night then-No. 1 goaltender Jaroslav Janus signed with the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning, Wood learned he would start in his first OHL game 20 minutes before facing the Niagara IceDogs. He stopped 33-of-40 shots in an 8-7 win. Two nights later, he allowed five goals on 24 shots in his home debut against the Guelph Storm. Yet he still earned a 7-5 win. In all, Wood, a 2009 eighth-round pick, had a 2-0-0-0, record 6.00 goals-against average and .813 save percentage.

Now he’s ready for more. “I feel like I’m ready for more experience this year, more confidence,” Wood said. “I feel I can do it.”

Wood joins veteran Ramis Sadikov and 2009 fifth-round choice Chris Festarini as the remaining goaltenders in camp.

* News and notes: Bassin made no cuts following Thursday’s workouts, leaving the roster at 40 players. More cuts will be made on Friday. … Accettura left the ice during Thursday’s scrimmage with an apparent injury, but it wasn’t considered serious.

- Victor Fernandes

- From Mercyhurst College news release

Robbie Ftorek (Contributed/Erie Otters)

Sherry Bassin wants to keep coach Robbie Ftorek and assistant coach Peter Sidorkiewicz with the Erie Otters in the future.

So Bassin, managing partner and general manager, plans to restructure their contracts, he said Wednesday at Tullio Arena. Bassin either will add to their existing deals or finalize a new contract.

Either way, their new deals will last a minimum of three years apiece. Ftorek has two years left on his current deal. Sidorkiewicz has one year remaining. “They’re good,” Bassin said of Ftorek and Sidorkiewicz. “It’s good for the continuity of the team. It’s good for the new players that are coming in.”

* Camp cuts: Club officials cut 11 prospects on Wednesday to reduce the roster to 40 players.

The list includes five 2010 OHL draft picks – goaltender Hunter Johnson (10th round), defenseman Liam Maaskant (eighth) and forwards Eric Kimmerly (11th round), Brent Hambly (14th round) and Liam Walker (15th round) and a pair of 2009 picks – defensemen Mikhel Poldma (fifth round) and Matt Halloran (14th round). Bassin originally planned to keep Maaskant in camp. But he wasn’t able to practice because of a case of shingles, a painful skin rash triggered by the same virus that causes chicken pox, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“That’s too bad because he deserves to stay longer,” Bassin said of Maaskant.

Harborcreek Township native Billy Wager, a goaltender, and Harbor Creek High School defenseman Hunter Conboy headlined a list of free-agent invites cut that included defenseman Tyler Mayea and forward Jack Pirie.

* Ailing Luciani: Right wing Anthony Luciani had wisdom teeth removed a few days before training camp began. That should keep him from practicing all week. Bassin said Luciani developed a throat infection stemming from the procedure. Club officials also removed Luciani from the team’s cabins at Camp Sherwin in Fairview over concerns that other players could be infected.

“We’ve been very careful with that,” Bassin said. “We’re not upset (that Luciani can’t practice) because we don’t have to evaluate him.” Luciani led the team with 38 goals last season.

In other injury news, goaltender Ramis Sadikov (foot) missed Wednesday’s practice. He was struck with a shot on Tuesday. Center Connor Crisp (groin), a 2010 second-round pick, and free-agent winger Macaulay McDonnell (charley horse) also sat out practice.

Billy Wager (Contributed/Bill Wager)

* Wager chooses NCAA: Wager approached Ftorek after the second scrimmage on Wednesday. Wager informed Ftorek that NCAA hockey is in his future. “I just realized I really want to focus on education,” said Wager, 16, who will play for Plymouth, Mich.-based Victory Honda‘s U16 team this season.

He pointed to the Otters’ annual seminar on Tuesday night, which featured Mercyhurst College men’s coach Rick Gotkin.

“It cleared things up for me,” Wager said.

Wager’s collegiate list includes NCAA Division I Boston University (his favorite), Boston College, Canisius, Denver, Maine, Mercyhurst, Michigan State, Ohio State (his father Bill‘s alma mater) and Wisconsin. He has made unofficial visits to BC, BU and Ohio State. “I’m still trying to find out what school is right for me,” said Wager, who wants to earn degrees in business and film. “I’ve looked at hockey programs. Now it’s time to look at education programs.”

* News and notes: Veteran winger Matthew Paton has added eight pounds of muscle to his 208-pound frame. That will help his physical style of play. But he has still focused on his speed and skill. Without that, he said, “I’m useless.” … John Labatt Centre in London, Ontario, and Sudbury Arena in Sudbury, Ontario, will host the OHL’s two games in the Subway Super Series, which features a six-game series between OHL, QMJHL and WHL all-star teams against a Russian club.

- Victor Fernandes

Erie Otters

Now that he’s 18, Accettura feels he has conquered his battle with ADD, which add.org describes as a diagnosis applied to children and adults who consistently display certain behaviors, such as being distracted, impulsive and hyperactive.

“It’s gotten a lot better over the years,” said Accettura, who stopped taking medication when he was 12 or 13 years old because he believed it stunted his growth. “I went off the medication and I grew four inches.”

Accettura resumed medication last year to cope with a rigorous daily schedule that included a 6:30 a.m. wake-up call, a morning workout, school and afternoon workouts.

“I had to take the medication to be focused, to be sharp,” he said. “(But) I don’t take it anymore. I’m glad I don’t take it anymore because I’m capable of doing everything and still having a (clear) head on my shoulders.”

- Victor Fernandes

Riley Sheahan (Contributed/Google)

Riley Sheahan will play for the University of Notre Dame or the Erie Otters.

That’s what Sherry Bassin, Otters managing partner and general manager, told Sheahan, his father, Mike, and his agent, Pat Brisson, of Los Angeles-based CAA Sports LLC, during a conversation a few weeks ago. Bassin plans to speak with them again on Wednesday.

Bassin, who picked Sheahan in the fourth round of the 2007 OHL Priority Selection, said Tuesday that he won’t trade his rights to another OHL club. Sheahan didn’t divulge if he’s interested in signing with the Otters, Bassin said.

Sheahan, 18, has never attended an Otters’ camp. The center played two seasons in Junior B with the St. Catharines (Ontario) Falcons to maintain his NCAA eligibility. Sheahan had six goals and 17 points in 37 games as a freshman at Notre Dame last season.

Yet speculation arose about his hockey future after reportedly being arrested with then-teammate Kyle Palmieri in April for underage drinking. In June, Sheahan said in a USCHO.com story that he didn’t foresee those legal issues to affect his future. He’s currently listed on the Fighting Irish’s roster for the 2010-11 season.

The Detroit Red Wings selected Sheahan in the first round (No. 21 overall) of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft in June. But he remains unsigned. Bassin declined to comment on if the Red Wings would have influence over Sheahan’s playing future.

* Sidwell headlines no-shows: Forward Josh Sidwell, who played with the Otters from 2007-09, chose not attend camp after originally committing to the club. He has an opportunity to join the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario.

Sidwell headlined the list of players that failed to report for the opening day of camp on Tuesday.

Bassin said defenseman Keegan Harper, a 2009 OHL draft pick, was told by officials from a Tier II club in Ottawa, Ontario, that his spot wouldn’t be guaranteed if he attended Otters’ camp. “I’m very disturbed about that,” Bassin said. “I’m really surprised that coaches wouldn’t encourage (players) to go to the highest level.”

Fellow 2009 pick Kevin Zugec, who played for the Pittsburgh Hornets U16 team last season, didn’t report for an unknown reason, Bassin said. Defenseman Chad Bednar was the only prospect in the club’s 2010 draft class not to report.

Other no-shows were 2008 picks Stuart Brownell and Tyler McCarthy (both defensemen) and free-agent invites Stevie Ray Adams and Pittsburgh native Mason Murovich (younger brother of former Saginaw Spirit forward Tyler Murovich).

* Not settling for second best: Goaltender Chris Festarini arrived at camp behind Ramis Sadikov, last season’s backup to now departed Jaroslav Janus and Adam Courchaine, on the depth chart. But Festarini isn’t giving up the No. 1 job without a fight. “You can’t back down that way,” he said. “I have an opportunity at camp.”

Festarini struggled in his only appearance last season. He allowed five goals on 21 shots in one-plus periods in an 8-7 shootout loss at London on Jan. 9. He uses his OHL debut as motivation to succeed.

“You have to battle through tough times,” he said.

* Long days: Forward Tim Tankeev, the club’s top pick in the 2010 CHL Import Draft, spent 21 hours traveling from his native Moscow, Russia, to Erie on Monday – a trip that included stops in New York City and Detroit. Yet he finished third in the team’s three-mile run Monday night. Then on Tuesday, he experienced his first workouts with the team. “I’m so tired,” he said Tuesday. “(It’s) so hard.”

Bassin has attempted to make his transition to Erie and the OHL smoother. They spoke about Russia, which is the native country of Bassin’s parents, Mal and Molly. “I just wanted him to be comfortable,” Bassin said of Tankeev.

* An eye-opening experience: Harborcreek Township native Billy Wager, 16, entered his first OHL camp on Tuesday with a simple approach. “I’m just out there to stop the puck,” said Wager, who joins Harbor Creek High School defenseman Hunter Conboy as the lone local players invited to camp.

He fared well in his first workouts. He fared even better at the Adrian College Showcase in Adrian, Mich. – his opening games with his new junior team, Victory Honda U16 in Plymouth, Mich. He made 35 saves in a 4-0 win against the Lansing (Mich.) Capitals. Then he stopped 29-of-31 shots in a 3-2 shootout loss to Detroit’s Little Caesars in the championship game.

Wager has moved to Michigan with his father, Bill, for the upcoming season. After consistently traveling two hours to Pittsburgh for practices the past three years, he’s looking forward to shorter trips from his new home. He also appreciates having Dad at his side.

“He makes you do the right things,” Billy said.

Walt Wingfield (Contributed/Erie Otters)

* Effective use of time: Walt Wingfield, the club’s director of scouting, watched many of the top 2011 OHL draft prospects this summer without having to travel far.

He scouted players at a Under-15 tournament in Rochester, N.Y., in July. He traveled to Kitchener, Ontario, a 20-minute ride from his Dundas, Ontario, home for a Under-16 tournament. “Now I’ve got a good look at them,” Wingfield said. “We’re getting ready for next year.”

* Two thumbs up for two refs: The OHL will use a two-referee system full time for the first time during the 2010-11 season – a couple of seasons after introducing it a couple of years ago. The league needed time to accumulate enough quality referees to handle every regular-season and playoff game, Bassin said. But the time has finally arrived, and Bassin is happy about it.

“It’s a different game when you have two (referees) versus 1,” he said. “Players are more conscious of it.”

* News and notes: Forwards Andrew Yogan (sore back) and Chris Marchese (groin), the club’s 2010 first-round pick, missed Tuesday’s workouts. … Club officials moved Thursday’s scrimmage to 3:30 p.m. from 4:30 p.m.

- Victor Fernandes