Led Phantoms in Scoring in First Full Pro Season
June 7, 2023
The American Hockey League has announced that Tyson Foerster has been named to its inaugural AHL Top Prospects Team, determined by the league’s hockey operations department in conjunction with AHL general managers. Foerster was included among the three forwards, two defensemen and one goaltender projected to be the best future NHL players.
Foerster exploded on the scene in his first full professional season after playing for the Phantoms in parts of the two previous campaigns. The 21-year-old led the Phantoms in scoring with 48 points (20 goals, 28 assists) in 66 games played and also scored two goals in a Game 1 playoff victory at Charlotte. Foerster also represented the Phantoms at the 2023 AHL All-Star Classic in Laval, Quebec.
Philadelphia’s first-round choice (23rd overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft made his NHL debut on March 9 and impressed during his recall collecting three goals and four assists in eight games with the Flyers while finishing his NHL stay on a five-game point streak before returning to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms during the team’s push to the Calder Cup Playoffs.
49 seconds in!? We think yes.#LVvsCLT | Rally the Valley pic.twitter.com/4nIJJRGjLD
— Lehigh Valley Phantoms (@LVPhantoms) April 19, 2023
The hard-shooting winger from Alliston, Ont. rebounded nicely from a partial season in 2021-22 which was interrupted in November due to shoulder surgery. He finished the 2021-22 season in Major Juniors with the Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League but was ready to return and make a big splash in 2022-23. Foerster has played in 99 career games with the Phantoms over parts of three seasons scoring 32 goals with 36 assists for 68 career points.
To qualify for the AHL Top Prospects Team, skaters must have been 22 years old or younger on the first day of the regular season, and must have played at least 36 regular-season games in the AHL and no more than 30 regular-season games in the National Hockey League during 2022-23. Goaltenders must have been 23 or younger on opening night and have played at least 25 AHL games and no more than 20 NHL games during the regular season.
2022-23 AHL Top Prospects Team
Goaltender Jesper Wallstedt, Iowa Wild (MIN)
Defenseman David Jiricek, Cleveland Monsters (CBJ)
Defenseman Simon Nemec, Utica Comets (NJ)
Forward Tyson Foerster, Lehigh Valley Phantoms (PHI)
Forward Jiri Kulich, Rochester Americans (BUF)
Forward Lukas Reichel, Rockford IceHogs (CHI)