Two of the top players in Ontario junior hockey in recent memory are being honoured by their former team.
Earlier this week, the Ontario Hockey League announced the quarter-century team for the Erie Otters. Along with current NHLers such as Nashville Predators center Ryan O’Reilly and Detroit Red Wings forward Alex DeBrincat, Edmonton Oilers forwards Connor McDavid and Connor Brown were on the roster.
The @ErieOtters have developed some real stars ⭐️
Vote on the Midwest Division #OHLQCTeam 🗳️: https://t.co/x5xKtSzyUP pic.twitter.com/itZvbG77zi
— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) March 12, 2025
To no surprise, McDavid was on the first team alongside former teammates Dylan Strome and DeBrincat. Also on the first team are former NHL defenceman Carlo Coliacovo and current Tampa Bay Lightning rearguard Darren Raddysh. Goaltender Devin Williams rounds out the roster.
Brown is on the second team with Stanley Cup champion O’Reilly and former NHLer Brad Boyes. Philadelphia Flyers blueliner Jamie Drysdale, New York Islanders defender Adam Pelech and goaltender Adam Munro were also honoured.
McDavid and Brown were part of a resurgence for the Otters franchise in the early 2010s. Erie had back-to-back losing seasons, leading to the team drafting McDavid as a 14-year-old in 2012. Together, they helped lead the Erie to the Eastern Conference Final in 2014, the season Brown led the Canadian Hockey League with a career-high 128 points. It’s the second-most in a single season in franchise history, only trailing Strome’s 129-point performance the following season. Brown won the 2013-14 Red Tilson Trophy as the OHL’s Most Outstanding Player.
In 2014-15, McDavid posted a respectable 120 points in 47 games, including missing time to win gold with Canada at the 2015 IIHF World Junior Championship. He scored another 49 points in 20 playoff games, leading the Otters to the OHL Final, where they lost to the Oshawa Generals in five games. McDavid was named the CHL Player of the Year as a result, leading to him being taken first overall by the Oilers that summer.
McDavid ended up scoring 285 points in just 166 games across three seasons with the Otters, sitting fourth all-time in franchise scoring behind Strome (354), DeBrincat (332) and Boyes (309).
During his tenure in Erie, Brown notched 98 goals and 152 assists for 250 points in 199 games, putting him ninth on the franchise scoring list.
