A total of 13 former Erie Otters have suited up for NHL teams during the 2019-20 season. Connor McDavid remains one of the league’s most productive players in Edmonton while Ryan O’Reilly is trying to defend the Stanley Cup with his teammates in St. Louis.
Speaking of teammates, how about linemates Alex DeBrincat and Dylan Strome in Chicago? The former Otters team with Patrick Kane on the Blackhawks’ top line.
Here are updates on each NHL-present Otter alumnus:
Connor McDavid, Oilers: McDavid is currently among the top two scorers in the league along with teammate Leon Draisaitl. The former Otter has 19 goals and 33 assists for 52 points (Draisaitl is at 19-34-53). McDavid ranks second in the NHL in assists and tied for third in goals. The Edmonton Oilers’ No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft missed considerable time due to injury in his rookie season before becoming one of the top players in the NHL.
McDavid is a two-time Art Ross Trophy winner and a two-time Ted Lindsay Award winner, taking both trophies in 2016-17 and 2017-18. He was also the Hart Trophy winner in 2016-17. In five seasons with Edmonton, he has 147 goals and 277 assists.
The most decorated player in OHL history has also competed in two IIHF World Championships for Canada, winning gold in 2016 before placing fourth in 2018. The Oilers have McDavid locked up through 2025-26 before he becomes an unrestricted free agent.
Ryan O’Reilly, Blues: A 28-year-old now in his 11th NHL season, O’Reilly became a St. Louis hockey legend last summer when the Blues won their first Stanley Cup and O’Reilly was given the Conn Smythe Award for his 23-point performance in the postseason (eight goals, 15 assists). This year, he has six goals and 20 assists through 30 games.
O’Reilly played six seasons with the Colorado Avalanche and two with the Buffalo Sabres before getting traded to St. Louis before the 2018-19 season. He has played 763 regular-season games, totaling 189 goals and 336 assists, and is a two-time All-Star. Last year, he received the Frank Selke Award.
Internationally, he has played on five Canadian teams in the World Championships, winning two golds and one silver. O’Reilly is signed through 2022-23 with St. Louis, becoming an unrestricted free agent in 2023-24.
Warren Foegele, Hurricanes: The left-winger is in his second full season with Carolina; he debuted in 2017-18 but played only two games. This season, Foegele has four goals and seven assists in 29 games. Over the past three seasons, he has played in 108 games, totaling 16 goals and 13 assists.
Acquired by the Otters during the 2016-17 OHL championship push, Foegele continued his excellence with a 2017-18 AHL All-Star selection for the Carolina-affiliate Charlotte Checkers. During the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Foegele tied Erik Cole for the Hurricanes/Hartford Whalers franchise record for postseason points (9) by a rookie. He will become a restricted free agent after the 2019-20 season.
Alex DeBrincat, Blackhawks: Now in his third NHL season, DeBrincat has not missed a regular-season game for the Blackhawks. With 193 consecutive games played, he ranks 27th in the NHL among active players. In 2019-20, he ranks second on the Blackhawks roster in points with 21 (seven goals, 14 assists) behind linemate Patrick Kane. DeBrincat has 76 goals and 73 assists in his NHL career.
He also represented Team USA at the 2018 and 2019 IIHF World Championships, earning a bronze medal in 2018. He has 18 points in 18 games for Team USA (eight goals, 10 assists). DeBrincat is in the last year of his rookie contract; starting next year, he will begin his three-year contract extension with Chicago through 2022-23. He becomes a restricted free agent in 2023-24.
Dylan Strome, Blackhawks: After beginning his NHL career with the Arizona Coyotes (48 games over three seasons), Strome was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks during the 2018-19 season, joining former Otters teammate DeBrincat.
This season, Strome is third on the Chicago roster with 20 points (six goals, 14 assists), sitting behind linemates DeBrincat and Kane. Strome recently missed time with a concussion before making his return Thursday.
For his entire NHL career, he has 30 goals and 57 assists in 131 games. Strome played in the 2019 IIHF World Championships for Team Canada, compiling one goal and four assists in 10 games as Canada won the silver medal.
Andre Burakovsky, Avalanche: The Austrian-born Swede played the first five seasons of his NHL career with the Washington Capitals and helped bring a Stanley Cup to the Capitol in 2018 before joining the Colorado Avalanche for the current season. Burakovsky assisted the game-winning goal during the Caps’ 4-3 victory in their Game 5 clincher over Vegas. He played 328 games for Washington, totaling 62 goals and 83 assists.
Burakovsky represented Sweden at the 2016 IIHF World Championships. Over the summer, he was traded to the Avalanche and has appeared in 25 games while accumulating 11 goals and 10 assists. Burakovsky is playing on a one-year deal with the Avalanche. He will be an unrestricted free agent in the summer.
Kurtis MacDermid, Kings: The defenseman has spent parts of the past three seasons in the Los Angeles Kings organization, totaling 60 games for three goals and five assists. He has bounced between the Kings and their AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign, in each of the past two seasons. He has stayed with the NHL club so far in 2019-20 and has two goals and one assist on the year. MacDermid is currently on a two-way contract with Los Angeles and will become a restricted free agent in the offseason.
Adam Pelech, Islanders: A defenseman, Pelech has played parts of five seasons in the New York Islanders organization. This season, he has one goal and six assists in 27 games. Pelech has been a regular on the Isles blue-line over the past three seasons and was part of the playoff team that swept the Pittsburgh Penguins last year before getting swept itself by Carolina. In 236 regular-season games, Pelech has 12 goals and 47 assists. He is signed to the Islanders through 2020-21 and will become a restricted free agent after that.
Greg McKegg, Rangers: Currently with the New York Rangers, McKegg is playing for his sixth NHL franchise since making his debut in 2013-14. This year, he has one goal and one assist in 15 games. Last season, he was a member of the Hurricanes team that advanced to the Eastern Conference finals. McKegg began his career with Toronto before playing with Florida, Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh and Carolina. He has 14 goals and 12 assists in 147 games. He is on a one-year deal in New York and will become an unrestricted free agent in the summer.
Connor Brown, Senators: The winger is playing his first season with the Ottawa Senators after he was traded by the Toronto Maple Leafs. For his new club, Brown has three goals and 15 assists in 30 games. An ironman, Brown ranks 10th in the NHL among active players for consecutive games played with 276. Through his 282-game career, he has 46 goals and 70 assists. Brown will be a restricted free agent next offseason.
Erik Cernak, Lightning: Playing in his second NHL season with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Cernak has been under the microscope this season after an elbowing incident that led to a two-game suspension. The Slovakian-born defender lined up with the Presidents Trophy winner last season before Tampa was knocked out in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Cernak has played nearly an entire season’s worth of games for the Lightning, totaling 81 games, seven goals and 12 assists. In 2019-20, he has two goals and one assist in 23 games. Cernak, who was originally drafted by Los Angeles and then traded to Tampa, is currently on a two-way contract. He will become an unrestricted free agent in the summer.
Anthony Cirelli, Lightning: Cirelli was another part of last year’s Presidents Trophy-winning Lightning team. He is now in his second full season with the Lightning – and third total. A center, Cirelli has six goals and 11 assists in 25 games this season. For his NHL career, Cirelli has made 125 appearances, totaling 30 goals and 35 assists. Currently on a two-way deal, he will become an unrestricted free agent after the season.
Travis Dermott, Maple Leafs: Dermott is in his third year in the Toronto Maple Leafs organization. He made his debut in 2017-18 before becoming a permanent fixture on the roster last season. Thus far in 2019-20, he has three goals and two assists in 17 games. For his 118-game NHL career, Dermott totals eight goals and 27 assists. He is signed to a two-way contract that will make him a restricted free agent in the summer.
