Philadelphia Flyers: Did the Flyers find the goal scorer they seek in Round 1?
The Philadelphia Flyers may have find their guy in Tyson Foerster.
Most years in the beginning of October, we are talking Philadelphia Flyers regular season hockey. Of course as we all know, 2020 hasn’t been just any other year; and to add to the weirdness, we are instead talking the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. With the 23rd overall pick in the first round on Tuesday night, the Philadelphia Flyers selected Tyson Foerster.
Foerster is a 6-2, 194lbs winger who played his junior hockey with the Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League, and he had himself quite the season in 2019-2020. Foerster was an incredibly productive offensive player this past year, as he totaled 36 goals and 44 assists (80 Points) across 60 games. The thing that jumps off the page instantly is his goal scoring prowess; as potting 36 goals in 60 games at any level is impressive.
Entering the draft, the scouting report on the newest Flyers prospect singled out his keen ability to put the puck in the net. His best trait appears to be his rocket of a shot, and the addition into the Philadelphia Flyers pool of prospects adds a goal scoring element that has been severely lacking for many years.
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Mike G. Morreale of NHL.com had this to say in regards to Foerster pre-draft:
"“His goal-scoring ability stood out at the start of the season and his play continued to develop during the second half and he finished with 80 points (36 goals, 44 assists) in 62 games. The 6-1, 194-pound right-hand shot is a gifted offensive player who consistently puts himself in the right areas of the ice to get into scoring areas and make plays through traffic.”"
Another key thing to keep in mind, is the Philadelphia Flyers desire to draft players who are sound defensively; luckily, Foerster checks that box as well. While it is noted he is more of an offensive player, his defensive ability is something that has been noted as a strength as well.
While the outlook on the 18 year old prospect appears encouraging, the truth of the matter is he is still raw and will need to continue to work on his skating ability (as this is one of the red flags in the scouting process). However, as he continues to grow and get stronger and more comfortable, this should continue to improve.
Even with this selection, keep an eye on the possibility of the Philadelphia Flyers adding a big time goal scorer this offseason that can help in the immediate future; think Patrik Laine or Johnny Gaudreau. After the issue of goal scoring reared its ugly head in the postseason, it is nice that the Orange and Black appear to be trying to address this issue.
Next. Philadelphia Flyers: Chuck Fletcher needs to strike a deal for Patrik Laine. dark
The Flyers have done an outstanding job of acquiring talent throughout the NHL Draft in recent years. Their core is littered with players selected in the first-round. This includes Ivan Provorov, Travis Konecny, and Travis Sanheim. You can even add Joel Farabee in there as he looks like he will be a key piece for this team moving forward. Heck, you can even dip further back to a guy like Scott Laughton who was a first-round pick all the way back in 2012.
The addition of Foerster adds a goal scoring element that was severely missed. It’s only a matter of time before this guy is putting the puck in the back of the net in the Wells Fargo Center.