The Philadelphia Flyers are looking to put last season behind them after missing out on the playoffs. This offseason they notably brought in a new head coach in Rick Tocchet and making a big move to bring in Trevor Zegras to revitalize his career. But the organization is excited for their youth movement.
Before training camp, members of the organization, whether it be team governor Dan Hilferty, president of hockey operations Keith Jones, or general manager Danny Briere, expressed confidence in the team making that next step. That doesn't mean making the playoffs. Rather, it is their young players propelling themselves toward a great year.
One player who has received countless praise throughout training camp and the preseason is Tyson Foerster, who has been pinpointed as the player the Flyers think can have a breakout year.
Flyers expect big things from Tyson Foerster in upcoming season
In the first press conference before the start of training camp, Jones mentioned Foerster as one of the young players he expects to be one of their building blocks and one they expect to get better this upcoming season.
Foerster had missed most of training camp due to elbow surgery he underwent to treat an infection. But on Monday, Foerster made his official preseason debut when the Flyers took on the Boston Bruins. In that game, Foerster had a primary assist on Noah Cates' opening goal of the game in the first period.
After the game, Foerster received praise from Tocchet.
"He's just a really good hockey player," said Tocchet. "There's just people that are good hockey players. Knocks pucks down, he's strong on the puck, he makes good puck decisions. He's a really good hockey player."
Even before the preseason game, Tocchet said that Foerster received some high praise from one of the top stars in the game — Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby.
"Over the [2025 IIHF World Championship], Sidney Crosby called me and told me that he loved him," said Tocchet, h/t NBC Sports Philadelphia. "Just his off the ice, and [he's] a sponge. So when you hear that from one of the best players about a guy on your team...pretty good endorsement."
Considering all of this praise, it feels as though Foerster could eventually crack into one of the top forward spots on the depth chart. As of now, he is projected to be a third line winger alongside Bobby Brink and Cates, according to Daily Faceoff. But we all know that, eventually, these lines will change. If Foerster plays well early on in the season, it's only a matter of time until he does crack into a top six spot.
Foerster has increased his production over recent years. In the 2023-24 season, he recorded 20 goals and 13 assists for 33 points in 77 games. Last season, Foerster recorded 25 goals and 18 assists for 43 points in 81 games.
When it comes to players to keep an eye on this upcoming player, fans should do so with Foerster. Considering the praise he's received this offseason, fans should expect to see him put up even better numbers this season as compared to previous years.