The Philadelphia Flyers called up Tyson Foerster and Elliot Desnoyers from their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, on March 9. Wade Allison and Brendan Lemieux missed the club’s contest scheduled for that evening against the Carolina Hurricanes due to injuries. With 16 games remaining on the schedule, head coach John Tortorella should give Foerster extensive playing time for as long as he remains with the club.
His time with the Flyers may be limited due to the circumstances of his call-up. Once one of the injured forwards returns, he may be sent back to Lehigh Valley. However, the front office and coaches need to see which players from the Phantoms are ready to contribute at the NHL level. A rebuild is necessary as the Flyers will miss the postseason for a third consecutive year. The right core of players needs to be found over the next two to three years to lead them back into playoff contention. Let’s take a look at why Foerster may be a core player for them.
Foerster Can Be An Offensive Force For the Flyers
According to his 2020 NHL Draft prospect profile, Foerster’s strengths include his shot, creativity, hockey intelligence, and passing. His powerful shot is akin to Washington Capitals winger Alexander Ovechkin. His weaknesses include his defensive game and being an effective skater. In 2018-19, with the Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), he finished with 10 goals and 13 assists in 64 games. He excelled with 36 goals and 44 assists in 62 contests during the following season. He received the accolade of being the player of the game for Team White in the 2020 Canadian Hockey League (CHL) Top Prospects Game totaling two goals and an assist in the contest. A credit to his success with the Colts was his head coach, the late Dale Hawerchuk.
Former Flyers general manager (GM) Chuck Fletcher credited Foerster’s offensive talent following his selection with the 23rd overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. “He has quick hands, he can make plays around the net. I think he sees the ice really well. He’s a pretty complete offensive player. In his words, I think he would tell you he has a shoot-first mentality, which certainly didn’t upset me. He has a pretty good all-around skill set” (from ‘NHL Draft: Flyers select Tyson Foerster with 23rd pick in first round, Bucks County Courier Times, 10/6/20).
Foerster Has Improved Along His Path…
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