“With the 23rd selection in the 2020 NHL draft, the Philadelphia Flyers select, from Barrie, Tyson Foerster.”

He’s 6’2″, 200 pounds, a big-bodied center who had 80 points in 62 games last season for the Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League. Played for the late, great, Dale Hawerchuck up there in Canada.

Reading through various draft profiles and looking at the highlights, he seems like a Corey Perry type of player – great shot, good physical tool set, somewhat slow and a clunky skater at this early point in his career. Seems like a guy who has a lot of upside but is going to need some work. A quick scan of draft boards suggests that he was in that late first round/early second round range, so he fell where most experts had projected.

GM Chuck Fletcher was asked Tuesday night if he felt “relieved” to address the goal scorer/sniper type of need that Flyers fans are looking for:

“Yeah, I would say there’s probably many more organizations than just the Flyers, whose fan bases are clamoring for another shooter or another goal scorer. Certainly Tyson fits the bill. He’s got a lethal one-timer. He sets up on the left side there, the big right shot, and he hammers it. He gets a lot on it. He overpowers goaltenders. He also has quick hands. He makes plays around the net. I think he sees the ice really well. He’s a pretty complete offensive player. I think in his own words, he would tell you he does have a shoot-first mentality, which certainly didn’t upset me. It certainly does take time. We’re going to have to work hard with Tyson and Tyson is going to have work hard on his game to make sure he gets to the NHL. This guy, he has a pretty good all-around skill set offensively. For that time in the draft, we were pretty pleased to select him.”

A shoot first mentality? Flyers fans have been looking for that player for almost 20 years now. Something to look forward to it in that department, finally.

Here’s the blurb from Elite Prospects, which mirrors what Fletcher said about his on-ice habits:

“He’s most comfortable setting up shop at the top of the left face-off circle, taking cross-ice feeds, and one-timing them on net with power. He sets up his feeds really well, scanning the ice for where his target will be, looking on the pass and threatening to shoot. He’s got one of the best shots in the draft, can see the ice well, and possesses plus-defensive instincts.”

VP and Assistant GM Brent Flahr had this to say about Foerster:

“You are always looking for goal scorers. Believe me, we’re always looking for goal scorers. Sometimes a lot of the top guys go early. Sometimes they have other issues. We had a number of different types of players on our board and in our range. He was a guy that our guys targeted. He’s physical with his size. His offensive hockey, specifically he shoots the puck, certainly made him attractive when we were picking. I feel he has tremendous upside.”

Welcome to Philly, Tyson Foerster. Some highlights for you to enjoy on a Wednesday morning: