CAYUGA—This year’s Ontario Hockey League (OHL) draft went very well for two teen players with ties to the Haldimand area, as 15-year-old Ethan Kindree was drafted by the Owen Sound Attack and 16-year-old Cooper Otterman was drafted by the Oshawa Generals.
Ethan Kindree
Kindree, a Cayuga native, started his hockey career in Cayuga Minor Hockey. He moved to AAA and had a two-year stint with the Hamilton Junior Bulldogs before the pandemic hit. He went on to play for the Hamilton Huskies and then spent two years with the Halton Hurricanes.
Kindree recalled finding out he’d been selected 51st overall in the OHL draft: “It was an unreal feeling. I’ve been working towards it my entire life. Just to see one milestone come into play lets me know I’m on the right track. I stood out because I was a top point getter in the OMHA.”
He credits his speed and hockey IQ with getting him to this point in his career, but knows he faces a tough challenge ahead. He is focused on speed, strength, and managing his time and space in the much faster league.
“I’ll definitely be working on my small area games, puck protection, and getting faster, and for my explosiveness. Since I’m not the biggest guy, I want to be to the puck first,” he explained. “Definitely getting faster, stronger, and putting on some muscle during the off season.”
Getting to this level at his young age requires dedication to the sport, and Kindree knows this firsthand.
“I don’t always get to go to parties or to hang out with my friends. I chose when I was young to put the grind in and work every day and try to reach my goal to play in the NHL, and it’s a sacrifice … putting in the work when no one is watching … to shoot pucks when I don’t feel like it, to work out when I’m not feeling good, but it’s the sacrifice it takes to be a high-level hockey player. It’s a really big factor when it comes to trying to get to the next level.”
Like all young players, Kindree has his preferences should he make it to the NHL: “Maple Leafs or Oilers. Toronto is the hometown team, and Edmonton is my favourite team.”
He said to those just starting on their hockey journey back home on the ice in Cayuga, “Enjoy every moment because it goes so fast. It’s a long journey, but it comes up fast. Treat it like a marathon, not a sprint.”
The second OHL draft pick connected to Haldimand is 16-year-old Cooper Otterman, drafted 139th overall by the Oshawa Generals.
Cooper Otterman
While Otterman does not live full-time in Haldimand, his father grew up here and his aunt still lives here. It was with her that Otterman stayed during the last hockey season, attending Cayuga Secondary School while he played for a AAA team in Milton.
“I grew up playing hockey and baseball since I was 3 or 4 years old. I played travel the first year you could for both sports. There was an age where I decided hockey was my sport, and I started really taking it more serious,” he recalled.
He is dedicating his off-season prep time to bulking up and doubling down on the basics.
“This summer I really need to work out, get on the ice as much as possible, and then get ready as much as I can to play at the next level in Oshawa,” he explained.
Otterman’s weekly routine includes about half a dozen trips to the gym, and three to four sessions on the ice focused on skills and conditioning.
He is confident that the day will come where he can show off his talents, from a wicked right hand shot to his prowess on the power play or penalty kill line.
He describes himself as “a good guy on and off the ice, a good leader.”
Otterman doesn’t expect to be called up to the team during his first year, knowing he has five years to make the team: “I’m only 16 … but if I make the team, I would go up there for the hockey season and come back in the summer.”
Like Kindree, Otterman’s long-term goal is to make the NHL, and his choice of team to play for should surprise few – The Toronto Maple Leafs.
He shared his recipe for success, concluding, “Work hard. It doesn’t matter where you get drafted. The team picked you…. Train hard, have fun, and do the best you can.”
