History
The Erie Otters were previously located in Niagara Falls, Ontario, where they were called the Niagara Falls Thunder. They moved to downtown Erie's Erie Insurance Arena in 1996.
The Otters' first three seasons in Erie were not kind to them, especially because they were eliminated in the first round of the OHL playoffs each year. However, they saw success in 1999 by capturing the Holody Trophy, which is the league's award for winning the Midwest Division championship. It would be their first of three consecutive Midwest Division championships, culminating in an J. Ross Robertson Cup in 2001–02. Additionally, Dave MacQueen won the Matt Leyden Trophy in 2000–01 as the OHL Coach of the Year and Sherwood Bassin was awarded OHL Executive of the Year for his role in building a championship team as general manager. The Erie Otters became the second American team to win the OHL Championship after the 1995 champions Detroit Junior Red Wings (now the Plymouth Whalers).
The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) officially partnered with the Erie Otters in 2012. As part of the deal, LECOM is the team's official medical provider.
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