Arizona Coyotes prospect Anson Thornton is making his return to Barrie in the OHL, but will he stay? Or will the Colts move the overage goaltender before the deadline?
Arizona Coyotes prospect Anson Thornton is making his return to Barrie in the OHL, but will he stay? Or will the Colts move the overage goaltender before the deadline?
Anson Thornton has been with the Tucson Roadrunners of the AHL for the first half of the season.
According to multiple reports, he will make his return to Barrie in the OHL.
The Arizona Coyotes prospect got into four games with the Roadrunners — Arizona's AHL-affiliate — and had a .849% save percentage.
While not getting into many games in Tucson, it makes sense for Thornton to go back to major junior to develop while he still can. The twenty-year-old will age out at the conclusion of this season, which makes him a valuable short-term option in net for teams.
Barrie has had a steady decline all season long, and injuries haven't helped the matter. There is a real possibility that the Colts will trade Thornton for assets, given that they are currently out of a playoff spot.
There are several teams around the OHL that are contenders, but lack a goalie they can rely upon. Teams that come to mind include Kitchener, Brantford, or even Guelph.
The Kitchener Rangers have been getting by with Jackson Parsons in net, who has been quite good all season. The concern with him is his lack of experience and past injury problems.
Adding Thornton would give the Rangers some reassurance and a lot of experience in net. Kitchener is set to go far in the OHL postseason, and having a goaltender that you can rely on can be a game-changer.
Brantford will likely be in the market for a goaltender at the deadline, as they have Matteo Drobac as their starter, and rookie David Egorov backing him up. Drobac has proven to be a "fringe-starter" in the past few seasons, and adding a veteran goaltender would be huge for the Bulldogs.
Nonetheless, Anson Thornton is making his return to the OHL after a successful season and playoff run with the Barrie Colts in 2022-2023. He may be moved at the deadline, and there will likely be a lot of interest from teams around the league.