Foerster Earns Spot on AHL Top Prospects Team

The American Hockey League (AHL) has long enjoyed a reputation as a vital proving ground for a large percentage of future National Hockey League players. Back on opening night of the 2022-23 NHL season, 590 players across the opening rosters of the NHL's 32 clubs had previously spent time in the AHL. That comprised roughly 83 percent of all players in the NHL.

This year, the AHL launched a new after-season award: the Top Prospects Team.

Selected in similar fashion to the NHL's All-Rookie Team -- consisting of three forwards, two defensemen and one goaltender -- the AHL Top Prospect Team honors six selected players. The selection is made by the AHL's hockey operations department in conjunction with the general managers of the 32 AHL clubs. One difference from the NHL All-Rookie Team is that Top Prospect Team candidates need not necessarily qualify as AHL rookies.

The selection criteria: To be eligible for the Top Prospects Team honor, position players must have been 22 years old or younger on opening night, played at least 36 regular season games in the AHL during the 2022-23 regular season, and 30 games or fewer at the NHL level.For goalies, the age cutoff is 23 years old on opening night and the 2022-23 regular season games played thresholds are 25 or more AHL games and 20 or fewer NHL games.

On Wednesday, the AHL announced its inaugural Top Prospects Team. The honorees for the 2022-23 season:

Goaltender Jesper Wallstedt, Iowa Wild (Minnesota Wild)
Defenseman David Jiricek, Cleveland Monsters (Columbus Blue Jackets)
Defenseman Simon Nemec, Utica Comets (New Jersey Devils)
Forward Tyson Foerster, Lehigh Valley Phantoms (FLYERS)
Forward Jiri Kulich, Rochester Americans (Buffalo Sabres)
Forward Lukas Reichel, Rockford IceHogs (Chicago Blackhawks)

Foerster, who turned 21 on January 21, 2023, led the Phantoms in scoring (20 goals, 48 assists, 48 points) during the regular season, and earned a spot in the AHL All-Star Game in Laval, Quebec. Making his Calder Cup playoff debut, Foerster enjoyed a two-goal game as the Phantoms earned a 4-3 victory over the Charlotte Checkers in Game 1 of a best-of-three series. The Checkers went on to win the series.

Foerster had 33 games of previous AHL experience heading into the 2022-23 campaign. With the 2020-21 Ontario Hockey League season canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Foerster dressed in 24 AHL games for the Phantoms (10g, 7a, 17 points). He also began the 2021-22 season in Lehigh Valley but suffered a shoulder injury in his ninth game that cost him most of the season. After recuperating from surgery, Foerster finished out the season in the OHL.

This season, Foerster showed that he was back to 100 percent health. He dressed in 66 of the Phantoms' 72 regular season matches and all three games of the first-round playoff loss to Charlotte.

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.

A native of Alliston, Ontario, Foerster was selected by the Flyers in the first round (23rd overall) of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. On March 9, 2023, Foerster earned his first recall to the parent team. Over his eight-game stint with the Flyers, Foerster compiled seven points (3g, 4a). He assembled a five-game point streak before he was reassigned to the Phantoms to assist the farm team's stretch-drive push for a playoff spot.

In total, Foerster has played 99 career AHL regular season games (32g, 36a, 68 points) plus eight NHL games for a combined 107 professional games by age 21. Come training camp, he'll vie for a 2023024 opening night NHL roster spot with the Flyers.