After Kingston was eliminated from the 1982 OHL playoffs, Stothers joined the Maine Mariners of the AHL for the rest of the 1981–82 season, going pointless in 5 regular season games and in 1 playoff game. Stothers played the entire 1982–83 season with Maine, playing in all 80 games while scoring 18 points (2G-16). He then went pointless in 12 playoff games. Stothers once again spent an entire season with the Mariners in 1983–84, getting 12 points (2G-10A) in 61 games, and then in 17 playoff games, he recorded an assist. The Flyers moved their AHL affiliate to Hershey in 1984–85, and Stothers moved along with them, and had the best season of his career, setting a career high with 26 points (8G-18A) with the Hershey Bears in 60 games. He also made his NHL debut with the Flyers, getting no points in his only game of the season in Philadelphia.