Tyson Foerster and Elliot Desnoyers are Gold Medalists, Gold Medalists. Team Canada won Gold last night, 3-2 in overtime as Ruben Rafkin and Finland gave Canada all they had. Finland almost won the game but a Canadian hero in Mason McTavish saved the day.
Tyson Foerster
Foerster finished the tournament tied for 23rd in points with six (3g,3a). He yielded another good game, and you can tell he’s a confident player. His skating is noticeable (In a good way), and he has longer strides to develop more separation.. When he doesn’t overthink his skating, he drives or powers to the net where he makes his bread and butter. Foerster has worked hard this Summer with a skating coach Slava in Voorhees, NJ, and this is the one area that he has worked that hardest. He knows what could possibly hold him back from the next level. The young prospect in Foerster is enthused with confidence, and it’s oozing through his smile.
Shooting the puck is his strength and that’s what he’s been doing more of as the WJC tournament has progressed. Foerster is a first shot mentality player that is something most rave about, so it is good to see him back firing away with confidence.
He will head back to Voorhees, NJ at the Flyers Training Center to continue training for this upcoming season. He knows how important this is, as he is trying to win a job out of camp.
Elliot Desnoyers
Desnoyers finished the Gold Medal game with 0 points, and he was a -1. As a matter of fact, he finished the tournament with registering only one point. Unfortunately, this was NOT a tournament to remember for him, as he was mostly relegated to the fourth line.
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Could this all be just fine tuning his skills, trying to get into a rhythm as he is coming back from injury…not so sure. He didn’t look like he was laboring or anything, which is a good thing, but at times he didn’t look like the Desnoyers most have come to know from the Halifax Mooseheads. Let’s see how Flyers Training Camp goes, he most likely will be playing for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in the Fall.
Emil Andrae is a Bronze Medalist
Andrae finished the tournament tied for ninth in scoring with eight points (4g,4a). He really put forth another good game in a 3-1 victory against Czechia to secure the Bronze for Sweden. He logged the third most ice time of any player for both teams with 22:22. That’s what Andrae does, he logs minutes. Andrae would be coveted by most nations as he eats minutes, regardless of his size.
Andrae didn’t shy away from physicality yesterday against Czechia, as on multiple occasions he was thrown into the wall trying to win a puck battle along the boards. He can take a beating along the boards, but come out with the puck, his instincts or will for the puck cannot be taught. Andrae only stands at 5’9 and only weighs 176 pounds, but he is still a talented left-handed shot defenseman.
The young 20-year-old will head back to Sweden, and hopefully earn an ELC (Entry-Level-Contract) with the Flyers next season. The Flyers currently have a log jam of Defenseman on the left-hand side, so it makes sense for him, developmental wise, to head back to Sweden for playing time.
