Tyson Foerster entered the 2023-24 season with high expectations. After averaging nearly a point per game during his two-week trial run with the Flyers in March of 2023, fans were hopeful the 2020 first-round draft selection would take the next step in his rookie season and cement himself as a no-doubt-about-it NHLer. He did just that. But not in the way many expected. Foerster put together a fruitful career with the Ontario Hockey League\'s Barrie Colts, and what set him apart from his peers was his offensive acumen. In his draft year, the Alliston, Ontario, native netted an impressive 36 goals and 80 points in 62 games. The very next season, he went pro and showed major flashes of potential with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, posting 10 goals and 17 points in 24 games. Foerster was a known point producer, and between his successful junior career and impressive (albeit brief) stints in the AHL and NHL, the hype surrounding him grew quickly, largely due to his ability to score goals. He didn\'t exactly get off to the hottest of starts in his rookie campaign, though. He was largely outplayed by other roster hopefuls during the preseason — namely Bobby Brink, whose strong training camp earned him a spot in the opening-night lineup — and didn\'t score his first goal of the season until mid-November. Overall, Foerster managed just five goals in his first 40 games of the season. Then he went on a heater. No Flyers player scored more goals than Foerster between January 12 and the season finale on April 16. With 15 markers in 37 games to end the campaign, it was clear Foerster finally found his groove offensively. \"Honestly, I think the puck just started going in the net for me,\" Foerster said during his end-of-season press conference. \"I feel like at the start of the year I was getting a bunch of grade-A chances, I just wasn\'t able to score them. I was still getting those chances in the second half and I just started to score them. I think it was just about actually scoring them and a couple lucky bounces here and there.\" As he proved in the second half of his first full NHL season, Foerster is more than capable of filling the back of the net. However, scoring goals may not even be his best attribute. Foerster, who just turned 22 years old in January, ended up being one of the Flyers\' top defensive forwards and graded out as one of their best 5-on-5 play-drivers. Not only did he rank third on the team with 36 takeaways behind only Travis Konecny and Sean Couturier, but he also posted stellar advanced numbers to boot. Generally, when Foerster was on the ice, the Flyers saw a noticeable boost in play-driving efficiency, and his strong play away from the puck was largely to thank for that trend. Under the tutelage of head coach John Tortorella, strong defensive play isn\'t optional. Foerster knew that early on and embraced the mentality shift with ease. \"Everyone knows how (Tortorella) wants us to play, and that\'s just how I thought my mindset should be, is try to be defense first, try not to get scored against,\" said Foerster. \"If I\'m not getting scored against, then I\'m doing a pretty good job.\" Three Questions Did they live up to expectations? It took him a minute, but yes. In the second half of the campaign, Foerster wound up being the scorer many believed him to be, ranking tied for third in goals by rookies at the season\'s end. Connor Bedard and Marco Rossi were the only first-year NHLers to score more goals than Foerster. What can we expect from him next season? In a wild turn of events, Foerster already seems to have his 200-foot play figured out. Now, he just needs to learn how to find the back of the net more consistently. With a full season of NHL experience under his belt and a clear boost in confidence, perhaps he\'ll be able to score even more goals next year. How do we grade his 2023-24 season? Foerster was as good as many hoped he\'d be as a rookie, if not considerably better. This kid seems to have a bright future ahead of him in Philadelphia. Grade: B+ Statistics courtesy of Natural Stat Trick and NHL.com.