The Erie Otters have officially announced the trade that sends overage forward Andrew Yogan, 19, to Peterborough for three draft picks.

The Otters receive a sixth-round pick in the 2012 OHL Priority Selection, which was originally traded by the Otters in the October 2009 deal that sent then-overage defenseman Chris Breen to the Petes and brought defenseman Derek Holden to Erie.

The Otters also received two conditional picks – Windsor’s second-rounder in 2012 and the Petes’ third-rounder in 2013. The Otters will lose those two picks if Yogan, an unsigned prospect of the New York Rangers, doesn’t play in the OHL this season.

Meanwhile, Otters GM Sherry Bassin said forwards Mike Cazzola and Brett Thompson will hold two of the team’s OA spots this season. That leaves the final spot for defensemen Brett Cook and Holden.

Bassin said no serious trade talks have arisen for either player or for OA winger Brett Appio, who is on the trade block. Yet Bassin hasn’t ruled out opening the 2011-12 season with Cook and Holden on the roster to offset the possibility of injuries.

Cook and Holden are the two most experienced defensemen on the roster, since OAs Tyler Hostetter and David Shields have signed with the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers and St. Louis Blues, respectively, and are expected to begin their professional careers this season.

Adam Pelech and Kris Grant played 65 and 52 games, respectively, as rookies in the 2010-11 season. Fellow rookie Mark Gazdic dressed for only 18 games this past season.

- Victor Fernandes

The Erie Otters have traded forward Andrew Yogan to Peterborough for multiple draft picks, a league source has confirmed. Yogan has waived his no-trade clause, the source said. The deal is expected to approve by OHL officials later this afternoon.

Yogan experienced an up-and-down, injury-riddled career with the Otters since being acquired from Windsor in November 2008. He had 17 goals and 34 points in 35 games after the trade, but missed the final month of the 2008-09 season and the playoffs with a concussion. He missed the 2009-10 playoffs with a fractured foot.

Then he missed all but the last 10 regular-season games in 2010-11 because of shoulder surgery. He also was scratched for the final four games of a seven-game, first-round loss to Windsor because he was sick. Yogan has 45 goals and 93 points in 108 games with the Otters.

He was the New York Rangers’ fourth-round pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, but he remains unsigned.

Here’s what Jim Schoenfeld, New York Rangers assistant coach and general manager of the AHL’s Connecticut Whale, told Whale staff writer Bruce Berlet about Yogan in an e-mail this week: “Because he missed most of last year with a shoulder injury, we feel another year of juniors might be best for him. But we will monitor him closely in camp, and you may see him in Hartford.”

- Victor Fernandes

Erie Otters forward Andrew Yogan, who’s currently on the trade market, could return to the OHL for his overage season, based on today’s report from Connecticut Whale staff writer Bruce Berlet on the AHL club’s website. Yogan, the New York Rangers’ fourth-round pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, had a brief stint with the Whale at the end of last season.

From www.ctwhale.com:

Yogan, a fourth-round pick in 2010, also should have a good chance to make the Whale after participating in the prospects tournament. He missed most of last season after having surgery on his left shoulder on Sept. 21, and then spent his final month of rehabilitation with the Whale before returning to the Otters and getting three goals and one assist in 10 games. When Erie was eliminated from the playoffs, Yogan returned to the Whale and learned more about the pro lifestyle and what he would need to do to succeed at the next level.

Yogan continued to build on his Whale success at the prospects camp, where he was one of the dominant offensive players. His left shoulder was clearly 100 percent, enabling him to elevate his game and score some notable goals in scrimmages while often in the middle of the action.

“Because he missed most of last year with a shoulder injury, we feel another year of juniors might be best for him,” (Rangers assistant coach/Whale GM Jim) Schoenfeld said via email. “But we will monitor him closely in camp, and you may see him in Hartford.”

Sherry Bassin, Erie Otters managing partner and general manager, said Wednesday that he’s involved in serious trade discussions involving Andrew Yogan, a 19-year-old forward and four-year OHL veteran.

Bassin declined to name the interested club and the timetable for a completed deal. But an unnamed league source considers an undisclosed Eastern Conference team as the frontrunner ahead of several other Eastern and Western conference teams. A trade could be finalized by the end of the week, the source said.

“I can’t really judge and tell you that it’s imminent or not imminent,” said Bassin, who wants “whatever fits” in return for Yogan – be it players, draft picks or both.

Bassin has made Yogan aware of the trade talks. He expects Yogan would waive his no-trade clause if a deal is completed.

“It’s a numbers game,” Bassin said, referring to Yogan. On Tuesday, Bassin alluded to having Mike Cazzola and Brett Thompson, who combined for 63 goals and 151 points this past season, for a full season. Cazzola missed two months in 2010-11 with a broken wrist. Thompson was acquired in January from Sault Ste. Marie. That likely would leave the final OA spot on defense for Brett Cook or Derek Holden. Bassin said trade talks involving other undisclosed players besides Yogan are ongoing.

- Victor Fernandes

Check out this story on Yogan from the New York Rangers’ website.

The Buffalo Sabres have added another former Erie Otter into their organization.

Shawn Szydlowski has signed a NHL entry-level contract with the Sabres. He will report to the AHL’s Portland Pirates, where he rejoins Mark Jeanneret, the Otters’ former play-by-play broadcaster and media relations director. He’s the Pirates’ play-by-play voice and director of communications and team services.

The Sabres already have former Otters Brad Boyes, Tim Connolly and Steve Montador on the roster.

Szydlowski, 20, an undrafted free-agent forward, set career highs with 41 goals, 37 assists and 78 points in his final season with the Otters. He finished his four-year career ranked fifth in franchise history with 94 goals and sixth in points with 197. Szydlowski attended an Ottawa Senators’ rookie camp before this season. The Pirates played at the Providence Bruins on Friday night.

He joins three current and former Otters – forwards Anthony Luciani (Florida Panthers) and Greg McKegg (Toronto Maple Leafs) and defenseman David Shields (St. Louis Blues) – to earn deals the past few weeks. Defenseman Tyler Hostetter signed with the Philadelphia Flyers before the 2009-10 season.

In other Otters’ news, Otters forward Andrew Yogan has signed an amateur tryout contract with the Connecticut Whale, the New York Rangers’ AHL affiliate. Yogan trained with the club during his rehabilitation from shoulder surgery. The Whale faced the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on Friday.

Yogan, the Rangers’ fourth-round pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, had three goals and four points in 10 games this season. He has 55 goals and 108 points in 174 OHL games with the Otters and Spitfires.

Luciani, who was assigned to the AHL’s Rochester Americans, was expected to make his professional debut on Friday night against the Binghamton Senators. He could face McKegg Saturday night, when Rochester meets the Toronto Marlies in Toronto. The Peoria Rivermen (Shields) and Adirondack Phantoms (Hostetter) faced the Chicago Wolves and Manchester Monarchs on Friday night.

- Victor Fernandes

What: No. 5 Erie Otters at No. 4 Windsor Spitfires

When: Tuesday, 7:05 p.m.

Where: WFCU Centre – Windsor, Ontario

On the air: WFNN-AM/1330, www.ottershockey.com (live stream)

Fast facts

Erie – The Otters have rallied from a 3-1 series deficit by beating the Spitfires, the two-time defending OHL and Memorial Cup champions, in overtime the past two games. … They tied the series at three games apiece with a 6-5 overtime win in Game 6 Sunday. That was the Otters’ first home playoff win in OT since May 10, 2002, when Sean Courtney scored to seal the franchise’s only OHL championship. … The Otters have won two straight playoff games for the first time since the first round in 2005 against Kitchener. … The Otters have won two of three games in Windsor, both by one goal (2-1 in Game 1 and 6-5 in OT in Game 5). … The Otters’ three wins in this series equals the combined total since their last series victory in 2004 (first round vs. Sarnia). … The franchise is 0-5 in series when trailing 3-1 in games. The Otters have rallied to force Game 7 twice but lost both times (first round vs. London in 1998, second round vs. Sault Ste. Marie in 2000). … The Otters have tied their playoff record with three overtime games in one series (first round vs. Kitchener in 2005). … RW Anthony Luciani (7-3-10) was named OHL player of the week after totaling six goals and nine points last week. … Luciani and C Phil Varone (3-10-13) combined for eight goals and 17 points in the past two games. … Linemate Brett Thompson scored the OT winner on Sunday, his first career playoff goal. … G Ramis Sadikov (3-2-1 record, 4.07 goals-against average, .907 save percentage) has made 50 and 48 saves, respectively, in the past two games – the second and the third-best single-game totals in his career. He made 51 in a first-round loss to the Spitfires last season. … F Andrew Yogan (sick) isn’t expected to play tonight after missing the past three games. “I told him the other day that we’re probably going to go with what we’ve got,” coach Robbie Ftorek said Sunday. “He’s fine, but he doesn’t have the hands and the timing that the other players have because he only played nine games (in the regular season because of shoulder surgery).”

Windsor – The Spitfires have squandered consecutive opportunities to win the series, including squandering 3-0 and 4-3 leads on Sunday. … According to The Windsor Star, the Spitfires have never lost a series when leading 3-1 in games (9-0). This is the third time a series has reached a seventh game (1991 vs. London, 2000 vs. Sarnia). … G Jack Campbell (3-1-2, 3.42, .903) has allowed 16 goals on his last 124 shots after stopping 105-of-112 shots in the first three games. … The Spitfires have recorded 40 or more shots on goal in all six games, including more than 50 in the past two games. … D Adrian Robertson (2-7-9) leads the team in scoring and is tied for second in scoring by defenseman in the playoffs. … RW Jake Carrick (4-4-8), C Stephen Johnston (4-4-8) and LW Tom Kuhnhackl (3-5-8) also rank among team leaders in scoring.

Up next: TBD

– Victor Fernandes

WINDSOR, Ontario – The Erie Otters are still alive. They can credit Anthony Luciani for that.

Luciani scored his fourth goal of the game 4 minutes, 3 seconds into the overtime in Game 5 to seal the Otters 6-5 win against Windsor in front of 5,945 at WFCU Centre on Friday night.

Luciani stole the puck from Spitfires all-star defenseman Ryan Ellis at the side of the net and slipped a shot through goaltender Jack Campbell’s pads to force Game 6 on Sunday at 4:30 p.m. at Tullio Arena.

Otters goaltender Ramis Sadikov (career-high 50 saves) began the game with 10 goals against on his last 70 shots in the past two games. But he was strong through an 18-shot barrage from the Spitfires in the opening period.

Meanwhile, the Otters scored the only goal of the period, as Luciani redirected Phil Varone’s cross-crease pass past Campbell at the 7:11 mark. The Otters had 12 shots in the period.

Sadikov also strong stood through the Spitfires’ 5-on-3 power play early in the second. Yet as the second penalty expired, Spitfires defenseman Adrian Robertson fired a shot from the right side that squeezed through Sadikov’s pads to tie the score at 1 just 3:34 into the period.

But the Otters’ power play awakened in the period. The Otters entered the game having failed on 24 of their first 27 chances. But they scored on three straight chances in a seven-minute span to take a 4-1 lead.

Varone split two defenders at the Spitfires’ blue line and fired a wrist shot past Campbell to break the 1-1 tie at the 8:55 mark. Less than three minutes later, Varone assisted on defenseman Derek Holden’s goal.

Holden fired a wrist shot through a screen to extend Erie’s lead to 3-1. Then Luciani deflected Holden’s shot from the point past Campbell for a 4-1 Otters’ lead with four minutes left in the period.

Varone set up the goal by diving to keep the puck in the zone on a clearing attempt and then making a cross-ice pass to Holden for his third assist and fourth point of the game.

The Otters led 4-1 after two periods despite being outshot 14-9 in the second and 32-20 in the game.

The Spitfires gained some momentum on Alexander Khokhlachev’s power-play goal 4:41 into the third period. But Luciani completed his hat trick – the eighth three-goal game in the franchise’s playoff history – by firing a rebound into an open net 1:10 later. Varone assisted on the goal to tie the Otters’ single-game playoff record with five points set by Brad Boyes (twice) in 2002.

Windsor moved within 5-3 on Kerby Rychel’s goal in front with 10:57 left. Then the Spitfires completed their dramatic comeback with two goals in 41 seconds. Jake Carrick slid a shot past Sadikov to slice the deficit to 5-4 with 3:50 left. Then during a wild scramble in front of the net, Ellis fired a slap shot through the crowd to tie the score at 5 with 3:09 left.

Windsor outshot the Otters 22-7 in the period to extend their advantage to 54-27 heading into overtime.

But Luciani scored on the game’s final shot to seal the Otters’ dramatic win.

* News and notes: The 55 shots against were four shy of the Otters’ postseason record (59 vs. Sarnia on March 26, 2002). … Varone also tied the Otters’ mark of four assists in a playoff game set by Boyes against Sarnia on March 23, 2002, and tied by Chris Campoli against the Sting two years later. … Holden had a goal and two assists. … Coach Robbie Ftorek said Andrew Yogan didn’t travel with the team to Windsor because he was sick. … Campbell allowed six goals on 31 shots in the loss. He has allowed 10 goals on his last 57 shots after stopping 105-of-112 shots in the first three games.

Series schedule

No. 4 Windsor vs. No. 5 Erie

Game 1 – Erie 2, Windsor 1

Game 2 – Windsor 4, Erie 3 (2OT)

Game 3 – Windsor 6, Erie 2

Game 4 – Windsor 7, Erie 4

Game 5 – Erie 6, Windsor 5 (OT)

Game 6 – Sunday at Erie, 4:30 p.m.

Game 7 – Tuesday at Windsor, 7:05 p.m.*

Windsor leads series 3-2

* If necessary

SUMMARY

Otters 6, Spitfires 5 (OT)

Erie  1  3  1  0  —  5

Windsor  0  1  4  0  —  5

1^st Period — 1. Erie, Anthony Luciani 2 (Varone, Shields), 7:11. Penalties — Khokhlachev (W) tripping, :44; Szydlowski (E) hooking, 2:55.

2^nd Period — 2. Windsor, Adrian Robertson 1 (Carnevale, Johnston), 3:34. 3. Erie, Phil Varone 2 (Holden, Sadikov), 8:55 (pp). 4. Erie, Derek Holden 1 (Varone, Cairns), 11:15 (pp). 5. Erie, Luciani 3 (Holden, Varone), 16:00 (pp). Penalties — Szydlowski (E) elbowing, :46; Shields (E) delay of game, 1:34; Kuhnhackl (W) roughing, 7:13; Johnston (W) checking to the head, 10:45; Kassian (E) slashing, 14:58.

3^rd Period — 6. Windsor, Alexander Khokhlachev 3 (Robertson, Kuhnhackl), 4:41 (pp). 7. Erie, Luciani 4 (Varone), 5:51. 8. Windsor, Kerby Rychel 1 (Carnevale, Ellis), 9:03. 9. Windsor, Jake Carrick 4 (Kuhnhackl, Khokhlachev), 16:10. 10. Windsor, Ryan Ellis 3 (Kassian, Brown), 16:51. Penalties — Cook (E) holding, 3:52; Erie, too many men (served by Luciani), 11:59.

Overtime — 11. Erie, Luciani 5 (unassisted), 4:03. Penalties — None.

Shots on goal — Erie, 11-9-7-4—31; Windsor, 18-14-22-1—55.

Goaltenders — Erie, Ramis Sadikov 2-2-1 (55 shots, 50 saves); Windsor, Jack Campbell 3-1-1 (31 shots, 25 saves).

Power plays — Erie (3-4), Windsor (1-5).

Referees — Darcy Burchell, Scott Oakman. Linesmen — Darryl Wolfe, Geoff Rutherford.

Attendance — 5,945.

Three stars

* Anthony Luciani, Otters (4 goals) ** Phil Varone, Otters (goal, 4 assists) *** Adrian Robertson, Spitfires (goal, assist)

What: No. 5 Erie Otters at No. 4 Windsor Spitfires

When: Friday, 7:05 p.m.

Where: WFCU Centre – Windsor, Ontario

On the air: WFNN-AM/1330, www.ottershockey.com (live stream)

Fast facts

Erie – The Otters need a win to avoid being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs for the third straight season. They haven’t won a first-round series since beating Sarnia in 2004. … The franchise is 0-5 in series when trailing 3-1 in games. The Otters lost Game 5 three times. … The Otters have lost three straight for the first time since October. … G Ramis Sadikov (1-2-1 record, 3.81 goals-against average, .906 save percentage) has allowed 10 goals on his last 70 shots (7.05 GAA, .875 save pct.). … Rookie backup G Chris Festarini has allowed three goals on 18 shots in 35 minutes of play (5.12 GAA, .833 save pct.). … The Otters were 1-for-6 on the power play in their Game 4 loss Monday to fall to 3-for-27 in the series. … C Mike Cazzola (3 goals, 2 assists for 5 points) and RW Shawn Szydlowski (2-3-5) have points in the past three games. … C Phil Varone (1-3-4) has points in three of four games. … Coach Robbie Ftorek said F Andrew Yogan missed Game 4 because he was ill and banged up. “We’ve got to see how that works its way out,” Ftorek said.

Windsor – LW Tom Kuhnhackl (2-3-5) rebounded from a leg injury in Game 3 by totaling two goals and two assists in Game 4. … RW Jake Carrick (3-3-6) has more goals and points in this series than in his previous 19 playoff games (1-2-3 with Sault Ste. Marie in 2008 and 2010). … C Stephen Johnston (3-3-6), RW Zack Kassian (1-4-5) and D Adrian Robertson (0-5-5) also lead the offense. … Six different players recorded at least two points in the Game 4 win. … The Spitfires have recorded 40 or more shots on goal in all four games (44.5 per-game average). … The power-play unit has capitalized on 4-of-14 chances in the past two games after failing on 16-of-17 opportunities in the first two games. … G Jack Campbell has a 3-1 record, 2.44 GAA and .920 save pct. in the series.

Up next: Game 6 at Erie (Sunday, 4:30 p.m.), Game 7 at Windsor (Tuesday, 7:05 p.m.)*

* If necessary (both games)

– Victor Fernandes

What: No. 4 Erie Otters vs. No. 5 Windsor Spitfires

When: Monday, 7:05 p.m.

Where: WFCU Centre – Windsor, Ontario

On the air: WFNN-AM/1330, www.ottershockey.com (live stream)

Fast facts

Erie – The Game 2 loss to the Spitfires on Saturday at Tullio Arena snapped the Otters’ nine-game overall winning streak and five-game home winning streak. … The Otters won Game 1 in Windsor on Thursday. … C Mike Cazzola had a goal and two assists on Saturday. He has four goals and nine points in 11 career playoff games. … Cazzola and C Phil Varone lead the Otters with a goal and three points in the series. … F Andrew Yogan had an assist in Game 2 – his first point in seven career playoff games. But he spent most of the third period and both overtimes on the bench after dropping from the No. 1 line to the fourth line. Coach Robbie Ftorek said rookie RW Macaulay McDonnell provided a better matchup on home ice in the game. “We’ll see what happens,” Ftorek said. “We just have to move the lines around.” … The Otters are third on the penalty kill in the playoffs (94.1 percent) after finishing second in the regular season (83.2). … G Ramis Sadikov has stopped 85-of-90 shots in the series.

Windsor – G Jack Campbell followed a strong performance in the Game 1 loss (35 saves on 37 shots) with 40 saves on 43 shots in Game 2. He also had an assist on Saturday. … D Ryan Ellis, who had 100 points in the regular season, had a goal and assist for the Spitfires after being shut out in Game 1. … Overage RW Jeff Brown scored his first two career playoff goals in the Game 2 win, including the winner in the second overtime. He had no previous playoff experience before this series. … RW Zack Kassian, a Buffalo Sabres prospect, has no goals and one point in the series.

Up next: Game 4 at Erie (Wednesday, 7 p.m.), Game 5 at Windsor (Friday, 7:05 p.m.)

– Victor Fernandes

Series schedule

No. 4 Windsor vs. No. 5 Erie

Game 1 – Erie 2, Windsor 1

Game 2 – Windsor 4, Erie 3 (2OT)

Game 3 – Monday at Windsor, 7:05 p.m.

Game 4 – Wednesday at Erie, 7 p.m.

Game 5 – Friday at Windsor, 7:05 p.m.

Game 6 – Sunday at Erie, 4:30 p.m.*

Game 7 – April 5 at Windsor, 7:05 p.m.*

Series tied 1-1

* If necessary