The Flyers announced today they’ve signed 2012 draft pick Anthony Stolarz and undrafted OHL winger Brandon Alderson to entry-level contracts. Both begin at the start of the 2013-14 season.
Stolarz was selected with the 45th overall pick in the second round at the draft last summer. He started the year with the Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks, where as a freshman, he wasn’t playing nearly as much as he would have liked.
Back in January he left college and signed a contract with the OHL’s London Knights, where he’s played 14 games and has compiled a .926 save percentage on one of the best teams in the league. Here’s what we wrote back when he made the jump:
Stolarz must think that going to London will be a good career move, but I think I would have rather seen him try and improve in Omaha despite the adversity he’s faced thus far this season. He would have had three years ahead of him as the starting goaltender for the Mavs beginning next year, and that chance isn’t as guaranteed in London.
Stolarz has earned the bulk of work since arriving in London, so our fears there have been assuaged a bit. He’s only 19 though so he still has plenty of time ahead of him before he finds his way to the pro ranks.
Alderson is a fourth-year, 21 year old overage player with the OHL’s Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. He’s ranked second among forwards on the Greyhounds with 25 goals in 59 games and third on the team with 57 points in those games. Of course, now-fellow Flyers prospect Nick Cousins leads the Greyhounds (and the entire OHL) in scoring with 98 points in 58 games. The two aren’t comparable — Cousins’ upside as a 19 year old is far higher than Alderson’s.
It’s possible — probably even likely — that Alderson will finish the year with the Adirondack Phantoms after the Greyhounds season ends, depending on when their season ends. They’ve already clinched a playoff spot and the OHL regular season ends on St. Patrick’s Day, so should the Greyhounds make a quick playoff exit, Alderson will likely play the end of the AHL regular season in Adirondack.
