The Philadelphia Flyers have signed former second-overall pick James Van Riemsdyk. They wanted to sign the left winger last year but he opted for another season at the University of New Hampshire.

His season came to an abrupt end when Boston University laid the smack down on them in the NCAA Tourney. Ok, BU barely beat them 2-1 in the last 15 seconds or so of the game to advance to their first ever Frozen Four….but still. The bottom line is that UNH lost.

Anyway, JVR reported to the Phantoms (the Flyers minor league affiliate) today.

“We are pleased to have James in the fold and look forward to monitoring his development more closely,” general manager Paul Holmgren said. “It was a difficult decision for James to leave school, but we both believed that it was in his best interest to do so.”

According to JVR, the signing was “a thrill of a lifetime.”

“This is a day I have been dreaming about ever since I got drafted by the Flyers,” he said. “Just to have this opportunity is something I am really grateful for.

“I thought the sooner I made this decision the better it would be for all parties involved. Since I’ve decided to leave school, I’ve told the UNH coaching staff and everyone else early on so they will have more time to fill my spot there. I just thought signing at this point would help me get my feet wet a little bit in the professional game and start working on some things that I want to improve upon.

“Obviously, this is a huge jump in level of play. I know I am going to have to work hard and basically that is what I am expecting. I am going to work hard and learn a lot from this experience.”

The fact that the Flyers were able to draft Van Riemsdyk second overall in 2007 shows how much pole the team smoked in 2006.