It was around the time Darren Raddysh was in his second year in the OHL that the balance of power shifted between him and his brother.

Darren was two years older than his brother Taylor and playing on a stacked Erie Otters team. Taylor was in his final year with the Toronto Marlboros Minor Midget AAA program. While Darren had dominated every wrestling match or game of mini-sticks up until that point, there was no looking back once Taylor hit his growth spurt.

"He's become a man. When [Taylor] first came into the league he was a chubby boy," Darren says with a proud but wistful smile.

Darren has closely watched Taylor's ascent from that portly, nervous kid into a bonafide NHL prospect who was selected in the second round of last year's NHL draft by the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The two have played three seasons together with the Otters. They've become one of the most dominant sibling duos in OHL history, finishing second and third in Otters scoring this season with Darren leading all defencemen in the league with 81 points in 62 games. They've continued to produce throughout the playoffs, as well, with both players scoring key goals and ranking among Erie's top points getters.

As the Otters continue their fight toward an OHL championship and the Memorial Cup, Darren, 21, has even more reason to be wistful: He is undrafted by an NHL franchise, in his final year of junior hockey, and Taylor is likely to make the jump to the Lightning organization next season. This could very well be the last time the two brothers play together.

"It's two brothers looking out for one another," Otters head coach Kris Knoblauch, who has coached the two throughout their entire time with Erie, says of their relationship. "I don't think it's big brother, little brother now. It's two brothers that are very close."

"It's crazy to think how quickly those three years went by," Taylor reflects. "It's even crazier to think that we could only have a few series left and maybe even a Memorial Cup."

When Taylor was drafted by the Otters, Darren had just one request: He wanted Taylor to live with him so he could guide him through the challenges of being a 16-year-old rookie in the OHL. The Otters had different plans.

The team wanted Taylor to find his own way with his teammates and not rely solely on his brother for direction. By this point, Darren was already finished high school and the Otters felt it imperative that Taylor immerse himself in the club.

"Just so he wasn't the guy tagging along," says Knoblauch. "You look at the success Taylor's had and you can't argue with that."

It was tough to separate the brothers at first. After all, they'd grown up in Caledon, Ontario, as the only children of Dwayne and Gwen Raddysh and played competitive lacrosse on the same teams (eventually representing Ontario together), and would golf together at the Caledon Country Club. And, of course, they'd engage in brotherly competition in the Raddysh family basement.

"A brand new rec room that ended up being destroyed by pucks and body checks against the drywall," their father Dwayne reflects in laughter.

Still, the Otters held firm and separated the two.

"Taylor needs his space at times," says Dwayne. "Whereas Darren is the type of guy to sit down and talk and listen. He likes to listen. With Taylor, he attracts people. Not that he wants to become the leader of the group, he just becomes the leader of the group."

The Otters would unquestionably not be the favourite to win the OHL championship they are today without the Raddysh brothers. Darren has been a solid contributor for the Otters over the last few years, and set career highs in goals and points this season. Taylor, meanwhile, put up 73 points last season after a 27-point rookie campaign. He then exploded for 109 points in just 58 games this season, ranking second in the league behind teammate Alex DeBrincat. "Having Darren here made me a lot more comfortable on the ice," says Taylor.

The effect they've had on the team, though, goes beyond the points they register.

"They're two of the loudest guys in the room," says TJ Fergus, Darren's defence partner. "One of them is always telling us to be prepared and come ready."

This season has also forced them to be prepared for the next stage of their careers, and the likelihood of being apart from one another. The brothers experienced a taste of that this past winter when they were separated as a result of Taylor's selection to Team Canada's world junior team after not being originally invited to training camp. Against Latvia in the round robin, Taylor exploded for four goals including a natural hat trick. That tied the record for most goals in a game by a Canadian.

Darren was watching closely at his billet house in Erie, while teammates had a movie on downstairs. Darren would run up and down the stairs with every goal to let them know of the show Taylor was putting on.

"It'll be tougher on Darren, leaving his brother," says Dwayne.

As Darren's time playing with Taylor is coming to an end, he's also dealing with the uncertainty that comes with being an OHL veteran and not knowing how the next stage of his hockey career will unfold. NHL teams like the Vancouver Canucks have been rumoured to have interest in Darren, but he has yet to sign an entry-level contract.

"All the players come into this league to get an education and to be with a good organization," says Knoblauch. "But there is also the dream of playing in the National Hockey League. He's done everything possible but sign that contract. I think it's on his mind."

"He's played his heart out," says Taylor. "He deserves more than a contract."

Darren is trying to stay relaxed about it, though, and has found the positives regarding his situation. "I have the luxury of signing wherever I want next year," he says. "It's like a year-long tryout. It's like another draft year."

And like any other draft, what happens afterward will bring changes. So the two are savouring each other's company while they can.

"It's nice to have my brother around," Darren says. "He's not too far. I can see him whenever I want."

For the remainder of the OHL playoffs, that will remain the truth.

"They have a love-hate relationship," says Dwayne. "When they're around each other they say they totally hate each other. But when they're apart they miss each other."