The Arizona Coyotes signed goaltender Anson Thornton to a three-year, entry-level contract, the team announced Wednesday.
The 18-year-old is currently in his first season with the Sarnia Sting of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). A native of Ontario, Thornton attended Coyotes training camp on an amateur tryout agreement.
“We are very pleased to sign Anson,” general manager Bill Armstrong said in a release. “He is a big, athletic goaltender who displayed tremendous poise and calmness in net for us during camp. We look forward to watching him continue to develop.”
Thornton appeared in one preseason game for the Coyotes on Sept. 27 against the Los Angeles Kings. Facing 17 shots, Thornton stopped all of them on his way to earning the win in net.
The goalie signed an agreement with Sarnia in August of 2020 after being selected No. 3 overall in the OHL’s 2020 Under-18 Priority Selection.
Thornton posted a 1.21 goals against average and a .909 save percentage in four OHL tournament games.