Hockey players are not always known for their creativity when it comes to nicknames. The standard is to shorten the last name and add one of a “y”, “s”, or “er” sound to the end. Occasionally, you end up with a unique one, but more often than not, the majority of a hockey locker room will reflect the usual monikers following that rule.
With a last name like Jake Oettinger has, his teammates could have called him any of those: Otty, Otts, Otter. When you ask the Dallas Stars goaltender about his nickname, you’d be surprised to learn that Otter is relatively new.