After having been linked to the centre out of Michigan State University, the Philadelphia Flyers have officially signed Karsen Dorwart to a two-year, entry-level contract, according to PuckPedia.
Michigan State was upset on Thursday when they lost their game to Cornell with the go-ahead goal being scored with 12 seconds remaining in regulation. It was not the storybook ending as hoped for the mighty Spartans, who are expected to have several players sign ELCs with their respective teams – or as free agents – in the coming days.
Daily Faceoff’s Anthony Di Marco was the first to report that the Flyers were closing in on a deal with Dorwart.
Dorwart was mentioned as a possible link to the Flyers by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman in his “32 Thoughts” segment on the 20th of March.
“Michigan State is expected to be the No. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA tournament. Karsen Dorwart, their second-leading scorer behind Tampa’s Isaac Howard, nearly went to the Maple Leafs one year ago, but returned to school. Several teams suspect Philadelphia lusts after him like an Angelo’s cheesesteak.”
The Flyers are just one of a few teams who have dipped their toes into the NCAA pool as they’ve followed suit from other teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs who signed standouts Luke Haymes and John Prokop last week.
The 22-year-old Dorwart hails from Sherwood, Oregon and he stands in 6’1” and around 195 pounds. He has spent the last 3 seasons with Michigan State having totaled 38 goals and 93 points in 111 games, including 31 points in 35 games this season.
The undrafted forward played for Sioux Falls of the USHL in 2021-22, where he collected just 9 goals and 25 points in 61 games before committing to Michigan State. In just a matter of three seasons he transformed his game and became a notable free agent in this year’s class.
Michigan State were a powerhouse in the Big Ten standings in the regular season this year. Alongside Minnesota, they had 50 points on the season but the Spartans held the slight edge with a 15-5-4 conference record compared to Minnesota at 15-6-3.
Unfortunately, Dorwart and company won’t be able to advance further into the playoffs and into the Frozen Four this year but that allowed the Flyers to get a fast-track into signing him to an entry-level contract.
He had previously attended Detroit Red Wings development camp and had serious interest from the Maple Leafs this year but decided to sign with the Flyers instead, according to Scott Wheeler from the Athletic.
He was also the fourth ranked free agent from this year’s class as mentioned by EliteProspects’ Cam Robinson. He’s a two-way centre who has some offensive pop but what would interest the Flyers the most would be his motor, IQ/senses, and ability to play a 200-foot game – which has always been a mantra for the organization.
It remains to be seen if he will go straight to the Flyers or report to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms upon his arrival but Daniel Brière and company have added a centre in a prospect pool that desperately needed one.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login