Photo Credit: The Morning Call
At only 20-years-old, Tyson Foerster is starting to show maturity at such a young age on the ice. Tyson is a strong playmaker and has a shoot first mentality. Foerster was signed by the Philadelphia Flyers following the 2020 NHL Draft, as he was a first round selection, #23 overall. Unfortunately, last season didn’t go as planned with him getting hurt, and missing the remainder of the season, “We had a 5-on-3 power play, so it’s a big fluke,” Foerster said of his injury at Developmental Camp. “Maybe I should have scored on that before it happened. I think I was diving for the puck to try and keep it in. I think my elbow hit the ice before my body did and it just popped out. It hurt for a bit. I continued playing and then I was like I don’t think something is right. Went and got it looked at.”
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Tyson is coming off a great WJC, in which he netted three big goals and tallied three assists. What was most impressive about his success in the tournament was his skating. He actually had longer strides and skated well coming down off the wing for Team Canada. It appears all his hard-work paid off this Summer, while working on his skating with coach Slava at the Flyers Training Center in Voorhees, NJ, “I’ve been here the whole summer so far, so working out with these guys training and working on my legs,” Foerster said before the WJC Tournament. “That is what I really need to work on. Getting those stronger will help my skating.”
He is comfortable when he is in the face-off circle on the left side. Tyson feeds players extremely well and is always looking for where his target is. Foerster can bring qualities to the ice that the Flyers are lacking, but he may or may not need time with the Phantoms to not slow down his development. He took advantage of playing in the AHL with uncertainty surrounding the OHL in 2020-21. Tyson gained valuable professional experience, and tutelage from some veteran players like Cal O’Reilly and Garrett Wilson, whom he spoke of very highly of for helping him as he has stated to us at developmental camp in 2021, “Pretty cool being up there with all the guys that have played in the National League and just been up there a while,” Foerster said. “It’s pretty cool to learn from guys like Cal O’Reilly and Garrett Wilson. I’m looking forward to that, but like I said, it’s out of my control. I hope I can prove myself out here to help their decision.”
“Totally different. Totally different. It’s a pro body now,” Senior advisor of player development Mike O’ Connell said of Foerster at Developmental Camp. “You can tell he’s gained some weight. He looks stronger, he’s leaned out for me. He was never heavy, but you can look at a player over the last 3 or 4 months, I see a huge difference in his physique and the way he carries himself. He’s eating properly. It’s very noticeable because I haven’t seen him in 3 or 4 months. Again, he had a difficult year last year with injuries. He’s obviously feeling good about himself. He has to be feeling good about the way he is physically right. Hopefully, everything goes smoothly for him and he competes for a job here in Philadelphia. That’s the goal, he’s a young prospect. He’s suffered some injuries, but let’s hope he’s on the right path right, that he continues to build strength and confidence, so that he’s on the ice here next year in Philadelphia.”
Tyson shoots right and mans the left side of power plays, and can easily understand what play is going to happen in the offensive zone. He is a double threat when it comes to odd man rushes, and he can move and pass the puck efficiently and score goals during these situations. Moreover, he has tallied 12 goals in 33 games played for his career as a Phantom, as Foerster just has a knack for the net, “Just getting stronger here,” Foerster said. “I was with Kjell Samuelsson and Slava, the skating coach because I wasn’t able to use stick handle or use a stick or anything. I was actually on the ice skating here during that time until I could start stick handling and shooting..”
Foerster continued, “For me, it was just everything happens for a reason. It sucked a lot. I wanted to be playing. I wanted to be with the guys every night, working out with them and doing all that sort of stuff. I knew the bigger picture is I have to work and get my shoulders healthy now, so I can be ready to go in the future.”
He has many good qualities to his style of play that covers many of the area the Flyers are currently in lack of and he is 100%. His goal is to make the big squad out of camp, and he will remain in Voorhees, NJ for the rest of the Summer. For his efforts, he has remained in Voorhees since the season ended, as he exclaimed last week, “I think for sure you are always coming here and trying to make the big squad. That’s what I’m trying to do,” Foerster said.
Unfortunately with fletch and scooter supporting him, there will be no good rosters for the Flyers until that ends.