Coming Home: Erie Otters Announce 2025 Home Opener Date, Opponent

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OHL Erie Otters

Coming Home: Erie Otters Announce 2025 Home Opener Date, Opponent

June 12, 2025 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Erie Otters News Release


Erie, Pennsylvania - It's the biggest date of the Fall for hockey fans: the Home Opener. Fans around the Ontario Hockey League can finally mark the first date on their calendar for the new season, as the league announces the start date of the 2025-26 season for all 20 member teams.

On Saturday, September 20 at 7:00 P.M., hockey will return to downtown Erie at the Erie Insurance Arena for Erie Otters' Home Opener 2025. Expectations will be high for fans and players alike in the homecoming affair; Erie has been successful in their Erie Insurance Arena regular season debuts of late, winning four of their last six home openers.

The home opener will represent the Otters' first game of the season against one of their biggest division rivals, the Kitchener Rangers. This will mark the fifth time the Otters have hosted Kitchener for their home opener (2002-03, 2004-05, 2008-09, 2017-18) with both championship banner raisings at the Erie Insurance Arena taking place against this opponent. This will be the 13th time in team-history that Erie's home opener has been in September.

After a second-straight season in the playoffs and a first appearance in the second-round since 2017. Erie will see plenty of familiar faces at the helm heading into the 2025-26 season including Matthew Schaefer and Dylan Edwards, plus plenty of new faces like Luc Plante and 2025 first-round pick Jake Murray. Kris Mallette will return for his first full season as Otters Head Coach and will be at the helm for his first home opener.

Further information regarding the home opener, including promotions, giveaways, activations, and the acclaimed Fan Fest, will be unveiled closer to the start of the 2025-26 season.

Erie will open the new season in Guelph for a Midwest Division clash on Friday, September 19. The complete 68 game 2025-26 season schedule will be announced Monday, June 16 at 2 P.M. on Otters' social media, OttersHockey.com, and on the Ontario Hockey League website.

The Erie Otters are ecstatic to return the top tier of amateur hockey in the world to downtown Erie for the 29th season and reignite the best fan base in the OHL. Don't miss a single moment of this highly-anticipated year of Otters Hockey: 2025-26 season tickets are on-sale now for as low as $13/game.

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from June 12, 2025


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