San Jose Sharks 2020 NHL Draft Profile: F Tyson Foerster

The San Jose Sharks shouldn’t pass on Tyson Foerster in the first round of the 2020 NHL Draft.

Forward Tyson Foerster had quite the breakout 2019-20 season for the Barrie Colts of the OHL and could be a target of the San Jose Sharks in the first round of the 2020 NHL Draft.

After only scoring just 23 points (10 goals, 13 assists) in 2018-19, Foerster exploded this year scoring 80 points (36 goals, 44 assists). With a season like this, Foerster sky-rocketed up scouts draft boards.

He went from being an afterthought/late-round prospect to being a solidified second-round/potential late first-round guy.

Strengths

There’s no doubt that Foerster’s biggest strength is his shot. He has one of the best one-timers in the draft class and likes to unload the bomb from the left circle on the powerplay (Alex Ovechkin-esque).

To get an idea of how often and effective the Ontario native is at scoring like this, Foerster had 18 power-play goals this season — this led the OHL and was half his goal total.

Besides his one-timer, the 18-year-old also has other very good, effective shots in his arsenal. This includes his wrist shot which is also one of the best in the class and is very powerful. He also has an extremely quick release and has the accuracy to pinpoint corners.

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Foerster also can score with his snap shot, slap shot, and on the backhand. He’s truly a pure sniper and can score from anywhere on the ice.

Aside from his shot, Foerster also has good passing, vision, and hands. He’s very good at controlling the puck down low and making a quick move around a defenseman to create time and space for himself and his teammates so he can find them with a tape-to-tape pass or unload his shot.

Foerster’s opposition often finds it hard to knock him off the puck thanks to his strong lower-body and great balance. He does a good job of protecting the puck with his 6-foot-1, 194-pound frame and has the edge work and agility to quickly turn and escape defensemen.

His hockey IQ is also good. Foerster has the ability to read plays and determine where his teammates are going and also find soft spots in defenses.

He also has the ability to do this on defense and due to this is almost always in good position to block passes and shots, whether with his quick, active stick or body. He has a very good backcheck and likes to support his defense down low to defend the cycle.

Additionally, Foerster is pretty good at forechecking and pressuring the opposing defense to turn the puck over. He’s also good at getting to loose pucks.

Weaknesses

Foerster’s biggest and most noticeable weakness has to be his skating. He’s not slow, but he’s not fast. He has the speed to keep up with the play, but not to lead it.

His acceleration and first couple of steps lack and he may find it hard to keep up with the play and get to open spots at the NHL-level.

San Jose Sharks Prediction

Like I said earlier, most scouts have Foerster projected to go in the second round — Future Considerations ranks him at No. 39 and eliteprospects.com ranks him at  No. 40.

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However, there are some people that are a bit higher on Foerster and think he should go in the late first-round.

I am one of those people.

I think the Sharks shouldn’t pass on the pure goal-scoring ability that Foerster possesses. Yes, he’s not the fastest and quickest. However, skating is much easier to teach than scoring goals.

And Foerster has shown that he’s extremely coachable and motivated to be better — he went from 23 points to 80 points in just one offseason.

He’s mainly played center during his career, however, he’ll probably be moved to wing in the NHL due to his skillset. He’ll also probably play in the AHL for a season or two improving his skating.

If Foerster is there when the San Jose Sharks are on the clock in the first round, they should snatch him up. He has the foundation to be a superstar in the NHL.