Veteran D Spencer Abraham figures Dane Fox and Jimmy McDowell are locks for two of the Erie Otters’ three overager spots for the 2013-14 OHL season. The departure of D Jack Kuzmyk, who recently informed club officials he has chosen to enroll in school instead of trying to play his final season in major juniors, leaves as Abraham as the only other OA on the current roster.
Yet Abraham doesn’t think he’s a sure thing right now. “I’m going to have to earn my spot,” he said. OAs need to be among the best players on the team. So where doe Abraham feel he fits in?
“I can be a depth guy,” he said, who can serve as a mentor to younger Ds like returnees Justin Felker and Darren Raddysh, soon-to-be signed 2013 second-round pick Jesse Saban and highly-touted 2012 pick Travis Dermott.
“They’re young guys coming into the league,” said Abraham, who heads into his fourth year in the OHL. “It’s a tough league. I can show them the way they need to work and the way they need to act.”
* Taking the next step: Defense prospect Patrick Murphy needed to get thinner, faster and stronger to have a chance to play for the Otters next season. He’s spending the offseason doing just that.
A more streamlined version of the Otters’ fifth-round pick in the 2011 OHL Priority Selection looked impressive during the club’s rookie development camp this weekend at Mercyhurst Ice Center.
“I wasn’t fast enough and too soft in the corners. That’s where I needed to step up to stick around,” said Murphy, who spent brief stints with the club the past two seasons.
* Hitting his mark: First-round pick Dylan Strome tossed a strike Friday night at Jerry Uht Park, when he threw the ceremonial first pitch before the Erie SeaWolves game. Strome wishes he was more accurate with his shots in Saturday’s scrimmages at MIC. He scored in the first scrimmage featuring mainly players with 1996 and 1997 birth years.
Yet he was stopped on a few quality chances in the second scrimmage.
Yet on the plus side, he quickly learned how much of a jump he will face from minor midgets to the OHL. Besides being a faster game, he said, “you’ve got to brace yourself for every hit.”
* A weekend off: C Connor McDavid enjoyed a leisurely weekend at MIC. He didn’t skate because he’s only a week removed from winning a gold medal at the IIHF U18 World Championship in Sochi, Russia. Besides, he’s still savoring the memorable experience, and not because he led all players in the tournament with eight goals and 14 points.
He enjoyed playing some of the best players in the world in that age group. McDavid also appreciated what he saw on the ice at MIC this weekend.
“It looks good out there,” he said. “I’m looking forward to training camp.”
* Getting offensive: C Kyle Pettit developed into a reliable defensive forward for the Otters last season as a 16-year-old rookie. Yet he focused on his offensive game this offseason. He has worked strictly on offense four days a week.
“It’s nice to get an offensive approach to my game,” he said.

Trent Fox has played hockey with his older brother, Dane, countless times in his life. But those times were in their driveway back home in Thamesville, Ontario. This weekend is different. This time, they’re both members of the Erie Otters organization.
“It’s exciting,” said Trent Fox, 16, the club’s fifth-round pick in the 2013 OHL Priority Selection who had 15 goals and 28 points in 27 minor midget games with London Knights Gold this season. “It will be a dream come true (if he earns a roster spot with the Otters. “I just have to do the hard work and do the little things to make it. That’s what I’ll do.”
Dane Fox, 19, who enters his overage season with the Otters, has served as his younger brother’s mentor heading into his first experience at the OHL level. “He’s been asking questions. I’ve just been calming him down and telling him what to expect and what to do and what not to do. He’s listening and asking questions. So I know that he’s ready to come out here and play.
Trent Fox didn’t last long in his first on-ice practice Friday during rookie development camp at Mercyhurst Ice Center. He left the ice early because of an ongoing battle with strep throat.
* News and notes: First-round pick Dylan Strome has officially signed with the Otters. … Strome will wear No. 19 as a rookie next season. Defenseman Artem Kuleshov wore that number as a rookie this season. But he isn’t expected to rejoin the club next season. Goaltender Oscar Dansk occupies one of two spots designated for European-born players. The Otters also hold the No. 5 overall pick in the CHL Import Draft this summer. … Defenseman Justin Felker was cleared to resume skating last week after being off the ice for four months because of a compression fracture in his neck that was originally feared to be career-threatening. … Center Jake Evans (knee) should be cleared to skate in the next two weeks.

- Victor Fernandes

Erie Otters (18-37-3-5) at Owen Sound Attack (39-18-1-5)
When: Today and Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre – Owen Sound, Ontario
On the air: WFNN-AM/1330, www.ottershockey.com (live stream)
Upcoming schedule: Wednesday vs. London, 7 p.m.
What to expect: The Otters snapped a six-game losing streak with a 5-4 comeback win in overtime against Windsor Saturday night at Erie Insurance Arena. … D Spencer Abraham scored the winning goal to complete his second two-goal game and three-point outing of his three-year OHL career. He was one point short of matching his single-game best of four points, set in his second career game with Brampton against Barrie Sept. 30, 2010. … F Dane Fox (16 goals, 17 assists, 33 points in 32 games) had two goals and an assist against the Spitfires in his first game back from a two-game, OHL-imposed suspension. … D Adam Pelech (7-30-37) rejoins the lineup tonight after serving a five-game suspension. … C Jake Evans (5-11-16) served his two-game suspension last weekend. But he hasn’t skated since injuring his knee during practice Feb. 25. … The Otters also are without rookie RW Hayden Hodgson (8-4-12), who’s serving a 10-game suspension that carries over to the first three games of the 2013-14 season. … RW Connor Brown (26-40-66) has skated on his own this week as he recovers from a concussion. Brown, who has been symptom-free the past few days, hopes to play this weekend. … Rookie D Justin Felker (neck) has been shut down for the rest of the season. … The Otters have all but clinched the No. 2 pick in the OHL Priority Selection April 6. Ottawa (16-42-0-5) is on pace to secure the No. 1 pick, while Peterborough (22-34-3-4) has the inside track to the third overall spot. … Otters C Connor McDavid (25-35-60) and Sarnia RW Nikolay Goldobin (27-33-60) are tied atop the league’s rookie scoring list. Both teams have five games left. McDavid, who has played five fewer games than Goldobin, leads his counterpart by two assists and trails him by two in goals. … Owen Sound is in a tight battle with Midwest Division rival Kitchener for third place in the Western Conference. The Attack has 84 points, one more than the Rangers, with five regular-season games left. … The Attack have the league’s best scoring defense (155 goals against) despite being the most penalized team (1,173 minutes). They are third on the penalty kill (84 percent). … C Daniel Catenacci ranks among the top 15 overall with 34 goals, 72 points and 111 penalty minutes. … LW Steven Janes (104), D Kurtis MacDermid (101) and LW Kyle Hope (100) also rank among the top 20 in penalty minutes. … G Jordan Binnington ranks among the leaders in wins (29), goals-against average (2.25), save percentage (.931) and shutouts (6). … The Attack won three of the first four meetings with the Otters.

- Victor Fernandes

Plymouth Whalers (34-17-5-4) at Erie Otters (17-36-3-5)
When: Today, 7 p.m.
Where: Erie Insurance Arena
On the air: WFNN-AM/1330, www.ottershockey.com (live stream)
Upcoming schedule: Saturday vs. Windsor, 7 p.m., March 8-9 at Owen Sound, 7:30 p.m.
What to expect: The Otters have lost five straight – two shy of their matching season-worst skid set Jan. 21 to Feb. 3 – and eight of their last 10 games. … They will play without four regulars suspended by the OHL – forwards Dane Fox (14 goals, 30 points in 31 games), Jake Evans (5-11-16) and Hayden Hodgson (8-4-12) and defenseman Adam Pelech (7-30-37). … Hodgson will miss the final seven games of the season and first three games of the 2013-14 season for a hit that injured rookie LW Henri Ikonen, Kingston’s leading scorer, in last Sunday’s loss. … Evans will miss both games this weekend for instigating the second fight in the same stoppage during that game. … Fox completes a two-game suspension tonight for instigating a fight in the last five minutes of a loss to Sarnia Feb. 22. … Pelech completes his five-game suspension this weekend for a 5-minute cross-checking penalty and game misconduct Feb. 18 in London. … The Otters also remain without captain Connor Brown (concussion). He hopes to resume skating next week, and holds out hope he can rejoin the lineup before the season ends March 16 against Guelph. … Otters coach Kris Knoblauch said club officials would like to recall prospects to fill in for those missing players. But those prospects are still in the playoffs with Tier II teams. Knoblauch was unsure if they could arrange call-ups in time for tonight’s game. … Otters C Connor McDavid (24-34-58) and Sarnia RW Nikolay Goldobin (26-32-58) are tied atop the league’s rookie scoring list. Both teams have seven games left. McDavid leads Goldobin by two in assists and trails Goldobin by two in goals. … Plymouth entered Thursday night’s game at Niagara leading the West Division by five points over Sault Ste. Marie and second in the Western Conference. … The Whalers have won eight of their last 10 games. … They began Thursday leading the league with 246 goals scored. The Otters have allowed 277 goals, the second-worst total. … Plymouth can sweep the four-game season series from the Otters with a win. … C Vincent Trocheck, a Pittsburgh native, ranks second in the league with 42 goals, third with 91 points and seventh with 49 assists. He has 18 goals and 41 points in 20 games since being acquired from Saginaw Jan. 10. … Windsor (24-29-1-6) entered Thursday night’s home game against OHL-leading London trailing Saginaw by nine points for the Western Conference’s final playoff spot. The Spitfires have seven games left. … They had lost seven of their previous 10 games.
Note: Plymouth’s record doesn’t include Thursday night’s game at Niagara.

* More online: Check out Otters rookie winger Hayden Hodgson’s thoughts on his 10-game suspension on the Shootout hockey blog at GoErie.com/blogs/shootout and Twitter at www.twitter.com/goeriehockey.

- Victor Fernandes

Erie Otters rookie winger Hayden Hodgson has been suspended for 10 games – the final seven games of this season and the first three games of the 2013-14 season – for his five-minute interference penalty and game misconduct Sunday against Kingston at Erie Insurance Arena.
OHL vice president Ted Baker said Hodgson delivered a hit to an unsuspecting, vulnerable player that caused a “significant injury.”
Meanwhile, Otters center Jake Evans will serve a two-game suspension this weekend for instigating the second fight in the same stoppage of play in Sunday’s game. He fought defenseman Dylan DiPerna, who wasn’t suspended. Baker said DiPerna shouldn’t have received a game misconduct because Evans instigated the fight. Kingston defenseman Ryan Hutchinson was issued a two-game suspension for a game misconduct stemming from his actions following a fight with Evans in the same game. Hutchinson kicked an Otters helmet across the ice and threw a chair in the runway while heading to the Frontenacs dressing room.
The Otters already have two other players, defenseman Adam Pelech and forward Dane Fox, serving league-imposed suspensions.
Pelech, who has been suspended twice this season, will serve the final two games of a five-game ban this weekend. He was given a major cross-checking penalty and game misconduct Feb. 18 against London. Fox completes a two-game suspension by missing Friday’s home game against Plymouth. He was given a game misconduct for instigating a fight in the last five minutes of a Feb. 22 game against Sarnia.

- Victor Fernandes

Erie Otters rookie RW Hayden Hodgson has been suspended for 10 games – the final seven games of this season and the opening three games of the 2013-14 season – for his five-minute interference penalty and game misconduct in Sunday’s loss to Kingston at Erie Insurance Arena.
The Otters already have two other players, defenseman Adam Pelech and forward Dane Fox, serving league-imposed suspensions. Pelech, who has been suspended twice this season, will serve the final two games of a five-game suspension this weekend. He was given a five-minute, cross-checking penalty and game misconduct Feb. 18 against London. Fox completes a two-game suspension by missing Friday’s home game against Plymouth. He was given a game misconduct for instigating a fight in the last five minutes of last Friday’s loss in Sarnia.
In related news, Kingston defenseman Ryan Hutchinson was issued a two-game suspension for a game misconduct stemming from a fight against Otters center Jake Evans Sunday. Hutchinson also kicked an Otters helmet across the ice and threw a chair in the runway while heading to the Frontenacs dressing room. Evans hasn’t received any additional penalties for another fight that led to his ejection in that same game.

- Victor Fernandes

Erie Otters at (17-32-3-5) at London Knights (39-12-2-2)
When: Today, 2 p.m.
Where: Budweiser Gardens – London, Ontario
On the air: WFNN-AM/1330, www.ottershockey.com (live stream)
Upcoming schedule: Thursday at Windsor, 7:05 p.m.; Friday at Sarnia, 7:05 p.m.
What to expect: The Otters have split the first four games of the six-game season series with the Midwest Division rival Knights, including a 4-3 win at Erie Insurance Arena Friday night. They meet for the final time March 13 in Erie. … The Otters are five points away from being officially eliminated from playoff contention. Any combination of Otters losses and Saginaw wins/overtime losses totaling five points will end Erie’s postseason hopes. … The Otters are on pace to earn the No. 2 pick in the OHL Priority Selection. They have the second-worst record in the league, behind only Ottawa (15-37-0-4). Peterborough stands third worst at 20-29-3-4. … C Connor McDavid (24 goals, 30 assists, 54 points) holds a three-point lead over Sarnia RW Nikolay Goldobin (24-27-51) in the league’s rookie scoring race. Brampton LW Blake Clarke (18-25-43) trails McDavid by 11 points. … RW Connor Brown set a new single-season career high with his 26th goal of the season in a 4-2 loss to Kitchener Saturday night. He already has new career highs with 40 assists and 66 points. … C J.P. Labardo needs one goal for the first 20-goal season of his five-year OHL career. His 34 assists and 53 points nearly equal his totals from the previous four seasons. … C Luke Cairns (10-28-38) has set a new career best in assists and points. … F Dane Fox (12-16-28 in 28 games) has averaged a point per game since returning from a foot injury. He had two goals and an assist Friday against the Knights, his former team. … D Jimmy McDowell has 12 goals this season, four more than in his previous three seasons. He ranks among the league’s top goal-scoring defensemen. … G Oscar Dansk stopped 75-of-81 shots the past two games after allowing 16 goals on his previous 106 shots. … Rookie D Darren Raddysh has played 14 games as an affiliated player, although nine count toward the total of 10 allowed by league rules. He has been a healthy scratch the past two games. … The Knights snapped a four-game losing streak with a 5-1 win at Niagara Sunday. … They remain nine points ahead of Barrie by in the race for the league’s regular-season championship and home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs. … The Knights are playing without RW Seth Griffith (33-49-82), who is reportedly out with a broken hand. … Rookie G Anthony Stolarz stopped 40-of-41 shots against the IceDogs after making 29 saves on 31 shots in relief of starter Jake Patterson Friday in Erie. … The Knights are 8-9 since posting a 24-game winning streak, which fell one shy of tying the CHL record. … They lead the league with 229 goals scored.

- Victor Fernandes

The Erie Otters had plenty of jump against the OHL-leading London Knights Friday night.
The Otters built an early 2-0 lead and then held on for a 4-3 win in front of 3,060 fans at Erie Insurance Arena. Dane Fox had two goals and an assist against his former team while Connor Brown added three assists for the Otters (17-31-3-5). Oscar Dansk made 30 saves for the Otters.
Matt Rupert, Ryan Rupert and Bo Horvat score while Max Domi had two assists for the Knights (39-12-2-2), which played without injured leading scorer Seth Griffith. Anthony Stolarz took the loss despite stopping 29-of-31 shots in relief of starter Jake Patterson.
Surprisingly, the Otters jumped on the Knights early on the way to taking a 2-0 lead and chasing Patterson from the net after only five minutes and five shots on goal. Luke Cairns opened the scoring by slipping a shot past Patterson for his 10th goal of the season 3:13 into the game. Then linemate Fox, who assisted on Cairns’ goal, flicked a backhand past Patterson at the 5:12 mark.
That goal sent Patterson to the bench in favor of Stolarz. He immediately was tested by Otters rookie Connor McDavid, the first of Stolarz’s 10 saves on 10 shots in the first period. He robbed Cairns of another goal with a right pad save in the final seconds of the period.
But the Otters, which ranked near the bottom of the OHL with 169 goals scored entering the game, continued to pressure one of the league’s stingiest defenses in the second. Erie gained momentum during a trio of 5-on-3 opportunities in a span of four minutes early in the period.
The Otters also regained a two-goal lead at 3-1 on Fox’s second goal of the night 5:51 into the period. Brown earned his third assist of the game on the goal. The Knights pulled within a goal at 3-2 on Horvat’s goal off a rebound 4:22 into the third period.
A great individual effort from McDavid led to his 24th goal of the season and a 4-2 lead with 6:27 left. McDavid slipped from behind the net, and then appeared to mesmerize two Knights’ defenders with his stickhandling, before sliding a shot past Stolarz.
The Knights once again sliced Erie’s lead to a goal at 4-3 with 5:01 left, as Ryan Rupert‘s scored a power-play goal with Stolarz on the bench for an extra attacker. Yet the Otters held on to even the season season with the Midwest Division rival Knights at two games apiece.

- Victor Fernandes

SUMMARY

Otters 4, Knights 3
London 1 0 2 — 3
Erie 2 1 1 — 4
1st Period — 1. Erie, Luke Cairns 10 (Fox, Brown), 3:13. 2. Erie, Dane Fox 11 (Brown, Kuzmyk), 5:12. 3. London, Matt Rupert 24 (Domi, Stolarz), 9:19. Penalties — Fox (E) high sticking, 9:31.
2nd Period — 4. Erie, Fox 12 (Brown, Pelech), 5:51 (pp). Penalties — Maatta (L) high sticking, 3:58; M. Rupert (L) delay of game, 5:18; Hughes (L) delay of game, 6:43; Fox (E) roughing, 7:17; Horvat (L) roughing, 7:17; R. Rupert (L) interference, 7:44; Pelech (E) roughing, 13:09.
3rd Period — 5. London, Bo Horvat 25 (Domi, Broadhurst), 4:22. 6. Erie, Connor McDavid 24 (Labardo, Donnay), 13:33. 7. London, Ryan Rupert 9 (Domi, Maatta), 14:59 (pp). Penalties — Betz (E) 14:06.
Shots on goal — London, 10-7-16—33; Erie, 15-13-8—36.
Goaltenders — London, Jake Patterson (5 shots, 3 saves), Anthony Stolarz 4-2-1-0 (31 shots, 29 saves); Erie, Oscar Dansk 9-16-2-3 (33 shots, 30 saves).
Power plays — London (1-3), Erie (1-4).
Referees — Jason Goldenberg, Bob Langdon. Linesmen — Ryan Holmstead, Drew Jackson.
Attendance — 3,060.

Three stars
* Dane Fox, Otters (2 goals, assist) ** Connor Brown, Otters (3 assists) *** Max Domi, Knights (2 assists)

Ottawa 67′s (7-21-0-3) at Erie Otters (7-17-2-3)
When: Today, 7 p.m.
Where: Erie Insurance Arena
On the air: WFNN-AM/1330, www.ottershockey.com (live stream)
Upcoming schedule: Saturday vs. Guelph, 7 p.m.; Sunday at Brampton, 2 p.m.
What to expect: The Otters enter Kris Knoblauch‘s first home game as coach on a season-high, six-game losing streak. They have lost eight of their past 10 games to fall nine points out of a playoff spot in the OHL’s Western Conference. … The Otters and 67′s have two of the OHL’s three worst records. Peterborough (6-20-3-1) stands last overall in the league. … Otters GM Sherry Bassin holds out hope C Dane Fox (broken left foot) could make his season debut this weekend. … The Otters traded D Nathan Glass to Saginaw Wednesday, which opens up a spot on defense for rookie Justin Felker, a second-round pick in the 2012 OHL Priority Selection who has dressed for only 13-of-29 games and has spent some time at forward. … The Otters are 2-10 in one-goal games and 2-14 in games decided by two goals or fewer. … C Connor McDavid, the league’s two-time rookie of the month, leads the team in goals (17), is tied with RW Connor Brown with 36 points and ranks second to Brown with 19 assists. … The 67′s have lost seven straight and 10 of their past 11 games, including a 9-0 defeat at Niagara Thursday night, which left them ninth in the Eastern Conference and nine points out of a playoff spot. … They look to sweep the two-game season series with the Otters. Ottawa won 8-1 at home Sept. 29. … They ranked a respectable 10th in goals scored (99), but had allowed a league-worst 139 goals. … C Sean Monahan, the 67′s leading scorer (36 points in 24 games) and NHL Central Scouting’s top OHL prospect for the 2013 draft, continues to serve a 10-game suspension. … Guelph (18-9-0-3) has used the league’s highest-scoring offense (118 goals) to move into fifth in the Western Conference. … The Storm have seven players with at least 20 points. … Brampton (14-12-3-2 entering Thursday’s game against London) ranks near the bottom of the league with 85 goals scored, but has one of the stingiest defenses (91 goals against). … The Otters hold their fifth annual “Teddy Bear Toss” Saturday. Fans donating a new or gently used stuffed animal will receive a ticket voucher for a future game. Fans will toss the bears onto the ice after the team’s first goal. The club collected 4,951 stuffed animals for the Salvation Army and other Erie-area charities a season ago.

- Victor Fernandes

Erie Otters managing partner/GM Sherry Bassin said he hopes to have veteran center Dane Fox make his season debut this weekend.
“We don’t know that yet,” Bassin said today. Fox, last season’s leading scorer, who has been recovering from surgery on a broken left foot, has been practicing with the team for the past week.
He also had been skating at home in Thamesville, Ontario, prior to joining the team.
“We have to see how he reacts on the ice with the foot,” said Bassin, who hasn’t ruled out keeping Fox out of the lineup until after Christmas break. “We’ve skated him hard. I think he favors his foot. He says he isn’t.”
Bassin said he should have an answer on Thursday night regarding Fox’s status for the weekend.
Fox said today that “if I see a jersey in my stall, I’m going to lace up my skates and go out there and play. It’s not up to me. It’s up to the coaches. I don’t want to hurt the team if they don’t think I’m ready. But right now I feel like I could go out there and play and do my best and hopefully help the team out.”
Fox still has trouble walking, but he said “it feels a lot better being in a skate. It’s easier to skate right now than it is to walk because my boot kind of supports my foot. I’m walking better than I was before. Now it’s just my cardio to work on.”
Fox has felt tired during recent practices. But his conditioning continues to improve.
“It’s just awesome seeing all the guys out on the ice,” he said. “It’s where I belong.”