Erie Otters The Erie Otters are a major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League ( OHL ) . Based in Erie , Pennsylvania , USA , they have played their home games at the Louis J . Tullio Arena since 1996 . The Otters are the only Pennsylvania - based team in the OHL and one of only three United States - based teams in the league . History . The Niagara Falls Thunder relocated from Niagara Falls , Ontario to Erie in 1996 , becoming the Erie Otters . The team takes its name from the otter , a water creature common to the south shore of Lake Erie . The Otters ' ownership partners are Ron Sertz , Jeff Fatica , and Ray Irwin . Sherwood Bassin is the general manager and a managing partner of the team . Walt Wingfield serves as head scout . The first three years in Erie were building years for the Otters , with the team eliminated in the first round of the playoffs each year . In the fourth year , all the hard work paid off with their first Midwest Division championship . It would be their first of three consecutive Midwest Division championships for the Otters , culminating in an OHL Championship in 2001 – 02 . Dave MacQueen won the Matt Leyden Trophy in 2000 – 01 as the OHL Coach of the Year . Sherwood Bassin was awarded OHL Executive of the Year in 2001 – 02 for his role in building a championship team as general manager . The Erie Otters celebrated their 10th anniversary in the 2005 – 06 season . 2001 – 02 OHL Champions . In the 2001 – 02 season , the Erie Otters became the second OHL team based in the United States to win the OHL Championship . The first were the 1995 champions Detroit Junior Red Wings ( now the Plymouth Whalers ) . After a disappointing conference finals loss to Plymouth the previous year , the Otters used their experience and work ethic to push themselves through the playoffs . Otters players had a puck holder hung on the wall of the dressing room with 16 slots to fill , equal to the number of wins needed for the title . Erie earned that 16th puck by defeating the Barrie Colts in game 5 of the 2002 finals . The Otters bid to host the 2002 Memorial Cup , but the Guelph Storm were chosen instead . Erie earned a berth in the tournament as OHL Champions but ultimately finished in third place . Two - time OHL MVP Brad Boyes led the Otters as captain . Team members for the 2002 championship were : Coaches . Dave MacQueen won the Matt Leyden Trophy in 2000 – 01 as the OHL Coach of the Year . " Multiple years in parentheses " Players . A total of 21 players have been selected at the National Hockey League Entry Draft since the franchise relocated to Erie , including a five - year stretch from 1997 – 2001 in which seven members of the team were selected in the first round : ( 1997 Jason Ward , 11th , Montreal Canadiens ; 1998 Michael Rupp , ninth , New York Islanders ; 1999 Tim Connolly , fifth , New York Islanders ; 2000 Nikita Alexeev , eighth , Tampa Bay Lightning ; Brad Boyes , 24th , Toronto Maple Leafs ; 2001 Carlo Colaiacovo , 17th , Toronto Maple Leafs ; and Adam Munro , 29th , Chicago Blackhawks ) . Season - by - season results . Regular season . Legend : OTL - Overtime Loss , SL - Shootout Loss , PTS - Points , GF - Goals For , GA - Goals Against Uniforms and logos . The team mascot is an anthropomorphic otter named Shooter , who wears a home jersey . The Otters home uniforms have a navy blue background ; the road uniforms have a white background . Both have red , yellow and gold trim . The logo is an angry otter with a hockey stick . The team changes their color after the annual christmas break in the league . It is a league wide tradition teams go from wearing their home whites to their home colors . For the 2005 – 06 season ( the team ' s 10th / Diamond Anniversary ) , the Otters unveiled a third jersey as part of the " Make Other Teams Bleed " campaign . The jersey has a red background with navy blue , white and gold trim . The third logo has " Erie " in big letters across the chest with " Otters " written beneath it . Arena . The Erie Otters play home games at the Louis J . Tullio Arena located in downtown Erie , Pennsylvania . The arena was built in 1983 and seats 5 , 500 spectators . The Tullio arena is one of the loudest in the league and works well for home ice advantage . The arena is part of the Erie Civic Center Complex , which includes Jerry Uht Park — a baseball stadium and home to the AA Erie SeaWolves .