Jim Waters
Chairman, Owner, President, and Governor
Jim Waters enters his fifth season as owner and governor of the Erie Otters. After retiring from his previous career in the broadcasting industry, Waters purchased the Otters franchise on July 17, 2015, fulfilling a lifelong dream he had to own a professional sports team. That dream culminated on May 12, 2017 when the Erie Otters won the OHL Championship for the second time in franchise history in just the second year under Waters’ administration.
Waters served as president of CHUM Ltd. from 1994 to 2006 and was also the chairman of the board from 2002-2006. Waters oversaw operations for the company which featured 33 radio stations across Canada. During that time, Waters was honored as the Broadcasting Executive of the Year at Canadian Music Week in March 2001. He was also elected into the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame in 2007.
In sports, Waters served on the board of directors for the Ottawa Rough Riders of the Canadian Football League. Waters’ company owned the franchise from 1977-1987.
Erie Otters Hockey Club
833 French Street
Erie, PA 16501
Contact:
Phone: (814) 455-7779
Fax: (814) 455-0911
Erie Insurance Arena: (814) 453-7117
Email: office@ottershockey.com
Executive Team
| Position | Name |
| Chairman, Owner, President, & Governor | Jim Waters |
| General Manager / Executive Vice President | David Brown |
Front Office
| Position | Name | Ext. | |
| Senior Vice President, Business Operations | Chad Westerburg | 6086 | chad@ottershockey.com |
| Director of Communications & Community Outreach | Shawn Bednard | 6088 | shawn.bednard@ottershockey.com |
| Merchandise Manager, Senior Retention Manager | Darcie Chabola | 6092 | darcie@ottershockey.com |
| Group Sales & Game Presentation Manager, Account Executive – Corporate Partnerships | RJ Niedzwiecki | 6083 | rj.niedzwiecki@ottershockey.com |
| Digital Marketing & Partnership Activations Manager | Haleigh Giebel | 6084 | haleigh.giebel@ottershockey.com |
| Account Executive | Mike Greenawalt | 6091 | mike.greenawalt@ottershockey.com |
| Digital Content Manager | Peter Wreschinsky | peter@ottershockey.com | |
| Financial Controller | Brett Loader | accounting@ottershockey.com |
Hockey Operations
| Position | Name |
| Assistant General Manager, Director of Hockey Operations | Scott Grieve |
| Head Coach | Stan Butler |
| Assistant Coach | Wes Wolfe |
| Assistant Coach | Ken Peroff |
| Goaltending Consultant | Adrian Volpe |
| Head Athletic Trainer | Andrew Kupniewski |
| Coordinator of Player Services & Video | Mitch Brown |
| Academic Advisor | Leigh Kostis |
| Billet Family Coordinator | Darcie Chabola |
Scouting
| Position | Name |
| Director of Scouting | Devin Brown |
| Director of Evaluation | Mark Nelson |
| Player Development Coordinator | Ryan Berard |
| Scout (GTHL) | Jeff Richards |
| Scout (Eastern Ontario) | Jesse Gimblett |
| Scout (U18) | Jason Harakal |
Medical Staff
| Position | Name |
| Head Team Physician | Dr. Francis P. Foti, II |
| Team Dentist | Dr. Stephen Kupniewski |
| Emergency Response Team | EmergyCare |
