Former Silvertips winger Josh Birkholz has signed a one-year deal to play next season with the San Antonio Rampage of the AHL.
Birkholz spent two seasons in Everett before using up his junior eligibility. The Maple Grove, Minn., native led the Tips in scoring last season with 57 points (29 goals, 28 assists) in 70 games.
San Antonio is an affiliate of the Florida Panthers, the team that selected Birkholz in the third round of the 2009 NHL draft. However, it seems the deal Birkholz signed is specifically with San Antonio as opposed to being an entry-level deal with the Panthers. I’m not sure what this exactly means. Birkholz was drafted out of the USHL, which usually means the NHL team holds the player’s rights for four years instead of two years like players drafted out of the WHL. Does Florida still own his rights for another year, and the Panthers are using this as a year-long tryout to see if he deserves an NHL deal? Or is this completely independent? I’m afraid I don’t know.
But anyway, congratulations to Josh, who earned his pro contract with a substantial improvement as an overager versus his 19-year-old season.
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