Fletcher takes a shot on Foerster in first round
Maybe some year in the not-so distant future No. 2 overall draft pick Nolan Patrick will live up to the hype that surrounded him three years ago. He might even be putting in full and effective hockey seasons by then, too.
Whether the would-be secondline Flyers center, who hasn’t played a game in a year and a half due to ongoing migraine issues, eventually recovers well enough to revisit his expectations, the Flyers Tuesday drafted a young guy who someday might be a nice consolation prize or even complimentary player to Patrick.
The Flyers took Tyson Foerster, 18, with the 23rd overall selection in Tuesday night’s NHL Virtual Draft. He might have been listed by the league press releases as comparing favorably to NHL players such as T.J. Oshie and Corey Perry, but with a little imagination you can see some Nolan
Patrick in him, without the headaches, of course.
“Tyson was a player we thought we had a chance to have him be available to us when we picked,” Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher said. “We were very, very happy with that.”
Foerster, who can play center or wing, scored a hefty 36 goals and compiled 80 points in 62 games.
“I got confidence last year early,” Foerster said. “And I think confidence is key in this game. My confidence really rose and I showed it on the ice.”
Foerster is reputed to have a bit of a rocket shot; Barrie took advantage of it on the power play, as Foerster prefers to line up at the top of the left circle, Alex Ovechkin style, to unload on cross-ice passes.
He did take some scouting hits on his skating style, however, which Foerster admitted was a bit unorthodox.
“I’ve been working on that for the past six months and I feel I’ve really improved on that,” Foerster said. “And I think that’s gotten me
closer to playing at the next level.”
He had a couple of pre-draft meetings with the Flyers, and was hoping to go to that next level with them.
“I was just waiting for them to make the pick,” Foerster said. “I was elated to finally hear my name called; obviously a dream come true.”
Foerster played at lower levels with the Colts and stayed there through two very productive major junior seasons with them. The team plays only 30 minutes from where Foerster grew up, in Allison, Ont.
During his first year in major junior in 2018-19, Foerster only scored 10 goals and 23 points in 64 games, so his offensive game clearly improved this past season.
“It’s been an amazing journey and I’m still looking forward to it,” he said.
Flyers assistant general manager Brent Flahr said his scouts had “a number of guys” they felt could be available at No. 23, and with the loss of defenseman Matt Niskanen to retirement it’s possible they were looking at a defenseman, as Flahr said the decision came down to Foerster and a different kind of player.
“At the very last we decided to go with a goal-scorer,” Flahr said. “A guy with size, a guy we followed closely through the pandemic. During the time off he’s used his time wisely. His instincts inside the offensive zone should be a great addition to the Philadelphia Flyers organization.
“Tyson’s ... a pure shooter. Very good instincts inside the offensive zone. He can make plays as well but he’s a shoot-first guy. Believe me, we’re always looking for goal scorers.”
As for the virtual draft, Fletcher said it didn’t impede the GMs during the process. The Flyers were supposedly in on some trade talks for Winnipeg’s Patrik Laine, as with a bunch of other teams, but no trade materialized.
“We discussed some things that just didn’t happen,” Fletcher said. “But that part of it was fairly normal.”
The draft will wrap up with rounds 2 through 7 Wednesday (11:30 a.m. start). The Flyers don’t have a third-round pick but they have two in the seventh round.