Flyers look to have a landed a good one in young sniper Tyson Foerster

The 2020 first-round pick made the most of his eight-game NHL cameo, scoring three goals, tallying seven points, and making a strong impression on the notoriously tough John Tortorella.

In eight games with the Flyers, former first-round pick Tyson Foerster racked up three goals and seven points before returning to Lehigh Valley.Read moreYong Kim / Staff Photographer

by Gustav Elvin

Published Mar. 29, 2023, 5:00 a.m. ET

Amid another season of losing, and during a spell in which the Flyers had won just four of 17 games, the team and its fans desperately needed something to look forward to and feel good about it. On March 9, that came with the call-up of prospect Tyson Foerster from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

Seeing Foerster, the team’s 2020 first-round pick, get a look at the NHL level would generate some some intrigue whether he lit up the scoresheet immediately or not. Rookies tend to take time, and given Foerster missed most of the past two seasons with serious injuries, just seeing him with the Flyers would be a positive step.

Foerster, though, did a lot more than just make up the numbers during his first taste of National Hockey League action. In eight games, the right winger not only scored three goals and tallied seven points, but endeared himself to prickly coach John Tortorella for doing the little things right.

“Tyson continues to impress,” Tortorella said on March 21. “Blocked shot at the end, huge blocked shot. Not turning pucks over in our end when he’s getting pinched. You can see his offensive skills, but the other parts of the game – it’s been impressive.”

All seven of Foerster’s points also coincided with a Flyers’ five-game point streak, as the 21-year-old earned more and more ice time and responsibility each game.

Unfortunately for Flyers fans, Foerster was assigned to the Phantoms after Saturday’s game due to the organization prioritizing the experience of playing in the AHL playoffs for its prospects. It remains to be seen whether Foerster will be recalled again this season, but if this is it, Flyers fan can feel extremely encouraged with what they saw over his eight-game cameo.

The biggest takeaway has been that Foerster’s much-talked-about shot comes as advertised. Since being selected No. 23 overall from the OHL’s Barrie Colts, Foerster’s biggest draw has been his shooting release. It took less than one game for Foerster to showcase that explosive shot at the NHL level.

“He rips a shot the other night,” Tortorella said March 14, referencing the March 9 game against the Carolina Hurricanes. “And I know he has a good shot, but it kind of shocked me, too.”

The right winger then opened up his goal-scoring ledger in his fifth game, firing an absolute BB off the post and in after a 2-on-1 rush against the Hurricanes. Foerster followed that up with a second consecutive two-point game in a 6-3 win against Florida (two assists), before once again demonstrating what a weapon his shot can be against Minnesota last Thursday.

With the Flyers trailing 4-3 with under six minutes to play, Foerster received the puck in an unassuming position against the boards at the Wild blue line. From there, he carried in 1-on-2, drifting in toward the faceoff dot and using a subtle drag to change the angle and blur Wild goalie Marc-André Fleury’s vision. That’s where natural ability took over, as Foerster’s wrist shot exploded off his stick, flying blocker-side high and off the post — with an audible ping — and in to tie the game. The snipe left several of his teammates impressed.

“He’s off to a good start, that’s for sure,” said defenseman Travis Sanheim after the game. “Obviously he’s got a great shot, but more importantly, I think just his poise with the puck and making plays. For young guy to come up and do that right away is pretty impressive.”

While fans continue to drool over the highlight-reel goals and the fact that the Flyers look like they have found another player who can put the puck in the net, Tortorella has been just as impressed with the other elements of Foerster’s play.

“He’s played really well, Tortorella said. And not just the things that show up as far as the goals, but the other things too. Those are the things that I need to concentrate on as he continues to grow as a player.”

An area Foerster, who was named an AHL All-Star this season, has really focused on is playing a more physical brand of hockey and embracing a power forward role.

“I feel like I’m a big player,” Foerster said in training camp. “I need to use the body a lot more and I think that’s what I’m going to start doing.”

Phantoms coach Ian Laperrière said Foerster has been noticeably more physical this season in the AHL and has built on being “a force” while winning gold at the World Juniors with Team Canada last August.

Foerster carried that physicality into his stint with the Flyers, showing no hesitancy to get to the hard areas, compete for pucks, or throw a hit with his surgically repaired shoulder. For now though it is back to the AHL for a playoff run for Foerster, who has 19 goals and 40 points with the Phantoms in 58 games.

While it is important not to get too carried away after an eight-game sample size, Foerster looks to be the real deal. He projects as an effective NHL goal scorer, and with a shot that just looks and sounds different, and the size and skill to finish in and around the net, Foerster could have 30-plus goal potential. Foerster also should be a weapon on the Flyers power play for years to come via one-timers and he continues to show more and more of an ability to create offense himself and his teammates. In short, for a team looking for more offensive difference-makers, Foerster’s combination of size, confidence, and an elite shot provides hope that the Flyers have identified another key piece to their rebuild puzzle.

The Flyers haven’t had many reasons to be optimistic about the future this season but in Travis Konecny, Owen Tippett, and now Foerster, the Flyers suddenly have an impressive stable of young right wingers. That’s a start.