The Flyers did not trade their pick up, down, or out, instead making the selection at No. 23 and ending up with Barrie Colts forward Tyson Foerster. Foerster is a player with experience at both center and wing, who scored 80 points in 62 games last season in Barrie and has an interesting offensive skill set that comes with questions about his skating.
Foerster was not the pick many of us expected — he didn’t even make our community draft board — but how do we feel about it with a bit of time to react? Our staff here at BSH dives in with some initial thoughts. And let us know how you’re feeling in the poll at the bottom of this post as well as the comments.
Kurt: So. My initial reaction was “I don’t know who that is.” My second reaction was “huh, wow, it seems like that guy has a lot of points in his draft year, could be worse?” Then my third thought was “hey they’re talking about him being a bad skater, I can’t think of any other recent comparables to that in Flyers draft history.” And THEN my next thought was “boy, do I like the way they’re talking about how he shoots the puck!”
Those were my thoughts. I think I’m in on it. Not what I expected and there were certainly bigger and probably better names on the board, but this seems like it could be fun. I’ll say more shortly, but you all go ahead first.
Ryan Q: I was expecting … not Tyson Foerster. Did he put up big points in the OHL? Yes! And that’s awesome. But his skating issues made me think he would end up sliding into the second round. He knows how to score goals, which is something the Flyers could certainly use, but I was hoping Jacob Perrault, who is a much better skater and can also score, would be the pick. I’m a bit underwhelmed. But who knows? I could end up looking like a big doofus down the road.
Maddie: Like the guys have said, I wasn’t really expecting this pick! I don’t hate the pick though. We’ve been screaming for what feels like a million years that the Flyers need to draft a sniper, and now it seems like they may have gotten one! There’s some risk with this pick—they’re betting that they can fix the skating, or that it’s just a strength issue and it’ll work itself out as he gets older and stronger (which may well be the case), but we do know that this isn’t always a sure thing. The pipeline’s already pretty well stocked, so I don’t hate the swinging a bit on this one, and grabbing someone who might be a bit of a project but has higher upside. Because if he does fix that skating and that shot translates to the NHL level… oh boy are we in for a treat.
Kyle: So like everyone I was not expecting this. Perrault seemed like a much more likely pick and I was cool with that, but I am really talking myself into loving this pick. The Flyers need more pure goal scorers and Foerster is exactly that. Sure, the skating could be an issue, but I like the fact Chuck went out and took a gamble on a guy who Corey Pronman of The Athletic gave a 70 shot grade. There were questions about Oskar Lindblom’s skating when he was drafted, and while yes that was a fifth round pick rather than a first round pick, it doesn’t mean any less that he can turn it around and improve his skating. I mean, who needs Laine, am I right?
Mike: Foerster certainly profiles as a type that the Flyers don’t have much of in their system in terms of his pure goal scoring ability, but obviously a bit of a surprise pick here overall. That said, if the Flyers can figure out his skating — a knock from the scouting community — they could really be looking at a dynamic offensive prospect in a system that suddenly doesn’t have much to speak of in that space.
Craig: The Flyers needed to add a goal scorer and Tyson Foerster is exactly that. It doesn’t sound like he’s a sniper like everyone wanted, but his one-timer is apparently pretty lethal and he likes going to the net. I was dead set on Jacob Perreault but they landed a goal scorer nonetheless.
Brad: First thought: who? One highlight package later: wow he shoots the puck good. You’re welcome for the analysis.
Kurt: I think the thing that intrigues me here is … this isn’t the kind of pick the Flyers usually make. They aren’t the type to use a pick in the 20s to grab a guy with a real obvious flaw because he has clear upside elsewhere. They aren’t usually going for a sniper. It’s different. And you could argue they didn’t pick the right guy for that role, but it’s a very, very interesting pick, and one that could work out well.
I also like that, as Scott Wheeler (ranked him 32nd) pointed out in his rankings, that he continued to produce even after Barrie traded multiple key players during the season this past year. Seems like the guy can just get to areas where teammates can set him up. That’s a plus. Can he do it against faster players without significant improvement in his skating? That’s the question.
What grade would you give the Flyers’ selection of Tyson Foerster?
| A+ | 39 |
| A | 72 |
| A- | 131 |
| B+ | 266 |
| B | 262 |
| B- | 112 |
| C+ | 72 |
| C | 66 |
| C- | 18 |
| D+ | 5 |
| D | 7 |
| D- | 2 |
| F | 21 |
