The Carolina Hurricanes could be looking to draft Tyson Foerster this summer.
While we wait for the NHL and NHLPA to finally figure out what a return to play may look like, let’s take a look at another draft prospect that the Carolina Hurricanes could pick up; Tyson Foerster.
The 18-year-old Ontario native may not be on the radars of many people as a viable first-round pick, but if the Carolina Hurricanes are forced to pick later than the currently predicted 19th overall, this kid could be a hidden gem.
Very few have big, 6’1″ Barrie Colts center going in the first round with the highest some are predicting for him being around the 21st overall. That can be attributed to a slow start in the OHL at 17-years-old last season. Then he only had 10 goals and 23 points in 64 games. He wasn’t exactly blowing the doors off of any of the competition.
But that was him on a roster that had Ryan Suzuki on it that pushed him down the depth chart and took away from his ice time. With Suzuki off and traded this season, Foerster finally got his chance to get more ice time and he exploded. How much? He managed to hit 100 points in the OHL in the follow up season to that slow start:
https://twitter.com/OHLBarrieColts/status/1236345852102414336
In only 62 games played thanks to a season cut short by COVID, he found the back of the net 36 times and combined for 80 points! He was also a powerplay machine, leading the OHL with 18 powerplay goals. For those of us doing the math at home, that is exactly half of his goal scoring.
The only few detractors from that season are the whopping 53 penalty minutes acquired along with the fact that somehow an 80 point player has a -17 rating.
But those efforts were still enough to get him an invite to the CHL top prospects game. There he didn’t fail to take full advantage of the night, winning the game, the MVP, and suddenly becoming a name that could be well considered as a prospective first-round pick.
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But what could he add to the Carolina Hurricanes? For one, he has an absolute howitzer of a shot. The kind that would goalies flinch just watching him wind up because if you aren’t ready by the time he lifts his stick, you’ll never stop that puck from going in. He likes to take them from the circle during a powerplay, like a certain Russian we all know too well.
He also has great vision of his teammates. You don’t earn 44 assists without knowing exactly where your buddies are and how to get the puck to them. His passing ability is almost on par with guys like Teuvo Teravainen.
But is he better than some of the guys that are slotted ahead of him in most mock drafts?
If the Hurricanes pick with Toronto’s pick at around 20 or better, there are a lot more spectacular players they can go after to refill the pipeline. That said, if they find themselves picking deep into the first round, they really can’t do better than a guy like Tyson Foerster, who might be a gamble, but would be well worth it.
Question for CC Readers: What do you think of Tyson Foerster? Do you think he would fit with this Hurricanes team?