PHILADELPHIA — It's easy to imagine Tyson Foerster one day whipping wicked, one-time shots from the left circle as Flyers fans percolate with excitement, anticipating what his quick release and powerful follow-through can do to opposing goaltenders.
Foerster, 18, had one of the hardest shots of any of the 217 players selected in the recent NHL draft. It's one of the reasons the Flyers selected the 6-foot-2, 194-pound right winger with the No. 23 overall pick. That and his playmaking ability, his high hockey IQ, and his driven, competitive personality.
Oh, and his willingness to work on things that need improvement, like his skating (it's gotten much better) and his defense, general manager Chuck Fletcher said.
But, make no mistake, Foerster's blistering shot, which has been compared to (gulp) Alex Ovechkin's, is his calling card.
Thousands of hours on the ice have perfected it. Countless hours in the weight room have helped, along with sweaty summers working on his grandparents' sheep farm, located about 10 minutes from his parents' home in Alliston, Ontario.
Sheep farm?
"We have to get the hay ready for the winter, so there's lot of haying and cleaning," Foerster said in a phone interview last week. "They have a couple of cows and horses, as well, so it's a pretty busy summer."
He stacks the hay, works the fields with his tractor, shovels manure, takes care of the animals, and cleans out the stalls, along with other jobs.
