Otters fans, it’s that time of year again – with the start of the regular season right around the corner, we are deep in the main training camp to prepare for the upcoming season. Part of this process means we will be hosting a Blue and White game on August 24th at 8:00PM at the Don Lough Arena, Canada Summit Centre.

Come out and enjoy some preseason hockey action. Rounding out the roster for both teams will include some returning vets, rookies vying for a spot on the roster with a few alumni joining in as well.

No charge for the game, just come and enjoy.

See you at the rink!

August 12th and 13th was the opening weekend for the Huntsville Jr C Otters Main Camp in preparation for the upcoming season. It was great to see the Don Lough Arena full of hockey players vying for a spot on the Otters roster.

Camp will continue with the following dates/times (all ice times will be at the Don Lough Arena in the Canada Summit Centre):

• Friday, August 18th: 7:00-9:00PM
• Tuesday, August 22nd: 8:00-10:00PM
• Wednesday, August 23rd: 8:00-10:00PM

If you attended the opening weekend of camp, please confirm you will be attending the upcoming skates with Brian Crozier, Otters GM. Brian can be reached at (705) 388-0835 or briancrozier62@gmail.com

If you did not attend the opening weekend and would like to tryout, please fill in the Main Camp form at the bottom of the page.

Goalies will be divided between the Friday and Tuesday time slots to allow for maximum ice time – you will be contacted with your date to attend.

Vets need to sign up as well.

If you have any questions about the upcoming tryout dates or the Otters Organization, please reach out to Brian Crozier.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Name *

First

Last

Email *

Cell #

Date of Birth (Year/Month/Day)

Hometown

Previous Team (include age group, level)

PositionForwardDefenseGoalie

Tell Us a Bit About Yourself (i.e. experience, role on past team, type of player you are) - N/A if already filled out a Preseason Form

Submit

It’s that time of year again! Dust off your gear and make your way to the Canada Summit Centre – the Huntsville Jr C Otters Main Camp begins on the weekend of August 12th and 13th.

We would like to invite all players and goalies interested in trying out for the Jr C Otters for the upcoming 2023-2024 season to get preregistered for the opening weekend of our Main Camp.

We are asking that everyone interested in attending the camp and trying out for the Otters fill out the below form, including Vets and Prospects, so that we can confirm our numbers in advance of the Camp and can properly prepare for the skates (apologies to the Prospects that may have previously done this).

Goalies – to give everyone a chance to have a fair look, we will be splitting up the goalie group between the Saturday and Sunday skates. Goalies that have attended our Prospect skates, have already been given their day to attend. All other goalies, we will confirm your day prior to the beginning of camp.

Everyone must preregister to attend. There is no cost to attend.

Don’t miss your opportunity to join this great organization. The season is looking good and we are excited to get back to the rink full time – see you there!

Details for first two dates of Main Camp:

• Saturday, August 12: 4:00-6:00
• Sunday, August 13: 12:00-2:00
• All skates will take place at the Canada Summit Centre, Don Lough Ice; 20 Park Drive, Huntsville
• For more information, please contact Brian Crozier, Otters GM at (705) 388-0835 or briancrozier62@gmail.com
• Fill out the below form to get signed up: 
  Huntsville Otters Prospect Skate Form

  Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

  Name *

  First

  Last

  Email *

  Cell #

  Date of Birth (Year/Month/Day)

  Hometown

  Previous Team (include age group, level)

  PositionForwardDefenseGoalie

  Tell Us a Bit About Yourself (i.e. experience, role on past team, type of player you are) - N/A if already filled out a Preseason Form

  Submit

The Huntsville Jr C Otters will be hosting their second prospect skate for the 2023-2024 season at the Armour, Ryerson & Burk’s Falls Memorial Arena in Burk’s Falls on Saturday, July 22nd from 12:00 – 2:00.

The skate is open to players and goalies interested in becoming an Otter for the upcoming season. Skate is open to players/goalies who attended the first prospect skate, as well as any newcomers.

Otter Nation is the place to be this season – don’t miss the opportunity to try out for the Otters!

Details:

• You must register in advance – Registration is on a first come, first serve basis
• Select attendees will be invited to move forward to our Main Camp, which begins August 12th
• Permission to Skate is required where applicable
• Prospects who attended the first skate, need to contact Kelly Farnsworth to Register
• New Prospects must fill out the below Otters Prospect Registration Form
• Cost: $20.00
• Any questions or for more information, please contact Kelly Farnsworth, Otters Secretary at : kelly.farnsworth@outlook.com or (705)783-5526
• Arena Address: 220 Centre Street, Burk’s Falls

Huntsville Otters Prospect Skate Form

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Name *

First

Last

Email *

Cell #

Date of Birth (Year/Month/Day)

Hometown

Previous Team (include age group, level)

PositionForwardDefenseGoalie

Tell Us a Bit About Yourself (i.e. experience, role on past team, type of player you are) - N/A if already filled out a Preseason Form

Submit

The Huntsville Jr C Otters are looking for a Team Trainer to join our Bench for the 2023-2024 Season.

Our awesome, longtime Trainer and Equipment Manager, Bob Mortimer, would like to scale back his time commitment and travel this season. He still plans to look after the Equipment, but would like to pass the reigns to someone new to fill the Trainer position.

If you would like to be part of our supportive organization and fill a very important role for our players (or if you have any questions or would like more information) please reach out to our General Manager, Brian Crozier. Brian can be reached via cell phone at (705)388-0835 or email at briancrozier62@gmail.com

Saturday, June 24th

The Huntsville Jr C Otters will be hosting their first prospect skate for the 2023-2024 season at the Allandale Recreation Centre in Barrie on Saturday, June 24th from 2:00-4:00.

The skate is open to players and goalies interested in becoming an Otter for the upcoming season.

Otter Nation is the place to be this season – we have a great group of returning vets, a state of the art facility, awesome fans, along with a supportive bench staff and executive whose first priority is the team and its players.

Details:

• You must register in advance and your registration must be approved to be invited to attend
• This camp is expected to fill quickly, please don’t delay in getting registered to avoid disappointment
• Registration is on a first come, first serve basis
• Minimum birth year of 2006
• No charge for this skate
• Select Attendees will be invited to move forward to our next camp
• Permission to Skate required
• Any questions, please contact Brian Crozier, Otters GM at: briancrozier62@gmail.com or (705) 388-0835
• Arena Address: 190 Bayview Drive, Barrie, Ontario L4N 4Y8 (Allandale Recreation Centre)
• Please complete the below Otters Prospect Registration to register for the prospect skate – you must receive confirmation that you have been invited to attend the skate (any issues, reach out to Brian Crozier)

Huntsville Otters Prospect Skate Form

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Name *

First

Last

Email *

Cell #

Date of Birth (Year/Month/Day)

Hometown

Previous Team (include age group, level)

PositionForwardDefenseGoalie

Tell Us a Bit About Yourself (i.e. experience, role on past team, type of player you are) - N/A if already filled out a Preseason Form

Submit

The Huntsville Jr C Otters unfortunately had their season come to an end this past Tuesday (March 14th).

While we are sorry to see our season end in the first round of the playoffs, we have so much to celebrate and be thankful for looking back over the 2022-2023 season.

This season saw the Otters in somewhat of a rebuilding phase, with new bench staff and almost half our team being Rookies, we started off with a relatively new and inexperienced team. Most of our returning Vets were Rookies themselves last season. Together these young men quickly became a cohesive group, supporting each other both on and off the ice. They became a true hockey family and that is something that lasts much longer than the ringing of the final buzzer at the end of the season.

This team was exciting to watch – the boys brought a combination of speed, physical play, teamwork, skill at both ends of the ice and a great goaltending pair protecting our house. The dedication was evident with this group as was apparent with attendance during both practices and games – there was never a concern of not having a full roster prepared to hit the ice. The boys provided great entertainment for our fans and built a very strong and supportive fan base, averaging 300 fans per game (with several games having many more than 300 in attendance). Our fans really are the best and we are so thankful for their support all season long!

This young team finished the season with 36 points, which is the most earned by any previous Otters team since Huntsville joined the PJHL in 2016 (even with the seasonal structure having 2 less games this season than past years). This success can be attributed to hard work and dedication, with players and coaching staff working cohesively together all season long. Even during games that ended in a loss for the Otters, many were close match ups that were entertaining to watch.

Out of 9 teams in the North Carruthers Division, the Otters ended up 6th at the end of the regular season. Throughout the season, the Orillia Terriers, Innisfil Spartans and Huntsville Otters were tight in the standings and kept trading control of the 4th, 5th and 6th positions. The division saw the Stayner Siskins hold control of the the #1 seed all season, with the Alliston Hornets and Schomberg Cougars battling out between the 2nd and 3rd seed and the Midland Flyers, Penetang Kings and Caledon Golden Hawks in tight in the 7th, 8th and 9th positions. Final standings determinations were not set until basically the end of the regular season, which is great from a competition standpoint and made for many close match ups between teams throughout the season.

Once the standings were determined, the Otters were pitted against the Schomberg Cougars (who ended up 3rd in the division) in a best of 7 series. For whatever reason, the style of hockey played by the Cougars proved challenging for the Otters all season long. In 5 regular season match ups, each game went to the Cougars. Ironically, the Otters had closer match ups with both the 1st and 2nd seeds, winning a few of those games and having closer games with both, with the exception of 1 game with each team early on.

The playoff series began in Schomberg on a Thursday night. The game was a little flat and Huntsville walked away with a loss along with some injuries and a suspension, however, they were determined to come back in game 2 the next night at home, in front of a hometown crowd. Although Huntsville lost 4-1, the game was much closer than the score indicated. Huntsville scored the first goal of the game and the score was 2-1 until approximately 3 minutes left in the third, when Schomberg managed to score another goal and follow it up with an empty netter. The Otters were down, but still not out when they returned to the Canada Summit Centre for game 3 two days later. Huntsville once again scored first early on and brought the score to 4-3 with a goal late in the third. There were some unfortunate turns of events during the game, along with some Otters injuries, but that did not deter the Otters from digging in and playing a hard fought game, but sadly they came up a goal short to tie the game and try to make an overtime push. Two days later, the Otters returned to the Schomberg Arena for game 4. The boys came in a little banged up and missing a few out of their roster, but they were still determined to walk away with a win and force game 5 of the series. Unfortunately, the Cougars were able to score 3 goals on the Otters in the first. Even though the Otters regrouped and played a much stronger second and third period, they were unable to turn the tables and pull out a win and the season ended there for the Otters.

While the time in the playoffs was shorter than the Otters hoped for, there was lots from the overall season to be proud of for this relatively new team. There was lots of learning and growth throughout the season and the Otters will be back next season with experience gained and ready to build on the successes earned over the last 44 games. We are sad to say good bye to our 4 overaged players, #18 Adam Lewis (C), #21 Nick Coleman, #25 Colin Jones and #31 Tyler Miller – your experience and dedication to the team will be greatly missed, as well as each one of you as a person!

Before you know it, Prospect Skates and Training Camps will be starting up for next season and the Otters will once again be hitting the ice!

We would like to give a heartfelt thanks to all our players, bench staff, sponsors, fans, volunteers, billet families, parents, executive, on and off ice officials, PJHL, arena staff and the Huntsville Community. We are so grateful for the countless individuals, businesses and groups who support us in so many ways that makes it possible for us to bring Jr C Hockey to our community – thank you all!!

We can’t wait for next season! See you at the rink!

Your Hometown Huntsville Jr C Otters

Your Hometown Huntsville Jr C Otters are set to start their playoff run. The first round of the playoffs sees the Otters face off against the Schomberg Cougars in a Best of 7 Series.

After a 40 game Regular Season, it’s time to step it up a notch with playoff hockey.

Don’t miss out on all the action! Be sure to treat yourself to some fast paced and entertaining hockey. Bring a friend or two and head to the rink to support your Otters – let’s make some Noise for the Boys!

1st Round Playoff Schedule:

This weekend sees your Hometown Jr C Otters play their final two games of the 2022-2023 Regular Season.

The last home game of the regular season is on Friday, March 3rd where the Otters will host the first place Stayner Siskins. Puck drops at 7:30 at the Don Lough Arena. Come out and cheer on your Otters. This match up should prove to be an exciting one. Let’s fill the stands and make some noise for the boys!

The following day, sees the Otters travel to Innisfil on Saturday, March 4th to take on the Spartans in their home barn for the last regular season game for both clubs. These match ups often tend to be spirited between these two teams. Come join us on the road, bringing some hometown support to your Otters. Puck drops at 7:30 at the Innisfil Recreation Complex.

Hard to believe this weekend brings the last of the regular season’s 40 games. This team has proved to be exciting to watch and has brought a competitive edge to the season’s match ups. This group is a relatively new team with many Rookies combined with some returning Vets to round out our roster. We have several local boys as well as quite a few from the surrounding area and from a distance also. They have all come together as a team and collectively have made up a close knit hockey family. This team has been supported by a large group of fans that has grown throughout the season – Huntsville truly is a great hockey town and you have all been so supportive all year. It is so great to see large crowds cheering on these deserving young men all season – many thanks to you all!

After this weekend, we will jump right into playoffs. This part of the season is always an exciting time as each team battles their opponents with the strong desire to win each series and continue to advance one round at a time. The first round for the Otters will see us square off in a 4 out of 7 series against the Schomberg Cougars. The playoff contracts are not yet final, but it is likely Game 1 will take place in Schomberg during the upcoming week, with us returning home next weekend for 2. Once the schedules are confirmed, they will be updated on both our website and the PJHL site.

We look forward to bringing you some exciting playoff action and hope to see you all at the rink!

GO OTTERS GO!!