OHL Report: Erie Otters

The Otters return over 15 skaters from last year's squad and should be able to compete for a playoff position in the tough Western Conference. The loss of Andrew Yogan will hurt the Otters in the scoring department but hopefully the continued development of David Broll and the arrival of first round selection Chris Marchese will help to offset any scoring woes. First year defender Adam Pelech the younger brother of both Matt and Michael shows the promise of being an OHL all-star shut down defenseman.

Mckeen's Director of Scouting David Burstyn profiles these players along with Brady Austin and Jeremy Gottzmann.

David Broll (2011), LW, Erie

Played a minimal role at the Hlinka tournament however the experience helped to improve his overall confidence heading into his second OHL season and NHL draft year .. a sizeable winger who displays some creativity with the puck but does not have an abundance of skill in terms of finishing .. Broll powers his way into the offensive zone due to his expansive frame .. his skating is suspect, he is slow out of the gates but can establish modest speed once he gets in motion .. has decent agility for a bigger player as he can twist, turn and cut the ice fairly well .. surprisingly gets knocked off the puck too often along the boards considering his size .. struggled with his defensive clearances at times .. his game without the puck is rather simple, he looks to pin guys along the glass but is still raw in his decision making and position .. exhibits a physical dimension to his game but his hits do not jar players off the puck nor does he intimidate the opposition as a bone crunching hitter that makes guys nervous or cough up the puck at the sight of him hurling towards them .. tends to slow down a tad before making contact which takes away the majority of the momentum he has created .. Broll is constantly carrying the puck into the zone himself and he needs a creative center to do that for him and get him the puck down low .. if he was given less responsibility with the puck and allowed to play a simpler game he would stand to be much more effective.

Brady Austin (2011), C, Erie

Originally drafted as a defenseman, Austin is now centring the third line and does not look particularly comfortable .. gives the Otters some size up the middle but is not intelligent nor creative enough to make the adjustment with success .. he suffers from a sever lack of confidence when he needs to handle the puck up ice and while he is an ok passer he constantly wants to throw it away .. good in a straight line, lacks the agility to turn and looks very suspect on his edges .. will smother guys in the neutral zone which is the only way he can make a difference without the puck .. at times he tries to line guys up for a hit but misses his mark more times than he connects .. tends to be a stride behind and would benefit by being moved to wing where he can use his size more advantageously along the boards and then move to the front of the goal to make plays.

Jeremy Gottzmann (2011), C, Erie

Gottzmann laboured through a tremulous rookie season as he battled with nagging injuries and was not healthy for a majority of the contests he played in .. under utilized in a fourth line centring capacity he is not playing with enough skilled line mates to bring out his game .. shows creativity and is a magician with the puck .. can make quick passes and also uses his speed to dart up the ice to generate offence .. too often his plays go u-developed as his line mates simply can not keep up with him .. low centre of gravity makes it hard for others to knock him off the puck .. plays a calculated defensive game as he watches and monitors the high man and covers them diligently .. strong forward unit has kept Gottzmann from a promotion to the top three lines where he could help the Otters bigger players in the offensive zone by removing the pressure of logging the puck up ice for them .. strong offensive ability he needs to get healthy and be put in a position to succeed.

Chris Marchese (2012), RW, Erie

First round selection is seeing minutes on both the second line and second PP unit .. plays a mature game as his positioning and keen sense of awareness enable him to stay within the play .. despite being slightly knock kneed he is a strong skater but not necessarily a burner .. he uses his stick well and angles off of players strongly forcing guys to the outside in the process .. he can also intercept passes in the neutral zone with a modest degree of success .. can rush things with the puck but his lack of patience is a rookie trait .. he boasts a strong shot and gets it off in a hurry .. thick body who understands the game well and should be able to make offensive contributions within time especially given his line mates .. a virtual shoe-in for Team Ontario's U17 program and a dominate OHL player for years to come.

Adam Pelech (2012), D, Erie

The first pick of the second round and former minor hockey team mate of Marchese plays a no-nonsense defensive game .. pigeon-toed skater, looks awkward in appearance but his lack of skating style does not impede his ability to stay involved with plays .. very sturdy, balanced and strong on skates .. has a strong upper body and was able to knock players off stride in defensive situations .. already playing in a PK role in his first three games as an OHL rookie .. looked generally comfortable handling the puck and made several successful first passes out of the zone .. Pelech plays a very disciplined game and has the disposition of a young Marc Staal.