Rookie Forward Doing All the Little Things Right
Tyson Foerster was drafted in the 2019 NHL entry draft by the Flyers mainly due to his excellent shot. The following season, due to the pandemic, with the OHL shut down for the entire season, Foerster spent the shortened 2021 season with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. As an 18-year-old "underager" he played 24 games and recorded 10 goals and 7 assists. Unfortunately, his rookie season ended with Foerster suffering a broken collar bone after an awkward fall into the end boards during a game. The injury caused him to miss the start of the 2021/22 season. When he was finally medically cleared, the Flyers opted to send him back to the OHL to finish out the season, and his junior career.
In his return to the AHL last season, in 66 games played Foerster excelled putting up 20 goals, and 28 assists for 48 points. He played well enough with Leigh Valley to earn himself a mid-season call-up to the Flyers. With the main club, he played 8 games recording 3 goals, and 4 assists for 7 points.
Foerster made the Flyers roster out of camp this season, and it initially looked like he and fellow rookie forward Bobby Brink would be in a rotation to make sure both players got enough playing time not to hurt their development. Both players played quite well in the first few weeks of the season forcing Tortorella to make lineup decisions, and deciding that it'd be Morgan Frost on the outside looking in more often than not.
Up until Noah Cates' broken foot injury this past weekend, Tortorella had been rotating Brink and Frost in and out of the lineup, but aside from one game has not chosen to sit Foerster. The forward has just 1 goal, 4 assists, and an unlisted shootout game-winner so far in 21 games played, but what has kept him in the lineup is his ability to play the defensive side of the game well. The defensive side of the game was not his strong suit as a prospect; it's not what he was drafted for, but his development has allowed him to do all the little things away from the puck that his head coach loves.
He's still shooting the puck; he's had plenty of chances and has tried to be creative, he just hasn't been able to find the back of the net consistently. Inconsistency is just the way development rolls sometimes. If he can start getting the pucks to go into the net more often he should develop into a really good top-6 winger.
For now, fans should just enjoy the fact a young player is developing on the defensive side while still continuing to try to be creative on the offensive side.
| POLL | ||
29 NOVEMBRE | 85 ANSWERS Rookie Forward Doing All the Little Things Right Are you pleased with Foerster's development thus far? | ||
| Yes | 48 | 56.5 % |
| No | 16 | 18.8 % |
| I'll be happy with it if he scores more | 21 | 24.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
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