After ‘waiting’ for the call-up, Flyers winger Tyson Foerster eager to make his NHL debut

RALEIGH, N.C. — Tyson Foerster was back home at his Allentown apartment on Wednesday afternoon when he got a call — rather, the call — from Lehigh Valley Phantoms coach Ian Laperrière.

The Flyers needed forwards with wingers Wade Allison and Brendan Lemieux “banged-up” and “day-to-day,” per coach John Tortorella, after their 5-2 road loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night. Laperrière told the 21-year-old Foerster that both he and center Elliot Desnoyers were being recalled by the Flyers on an emergency basis, meaning that Foerster would make his NHL debut against the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night.

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“He just said, ‘Hey, it’s your moment.’” Foerster recalled. “‘Go enjoy it.’”

But before Foerster could bask in the excitement of being on the cusp of a longtime dream, he headed to the PPL Center to pack up his gear. He fielded a flurry of texts from Flyers friends including defenseman Cam York and winger Joel Farabee, who were curious to know if the rumor of Foerster’s call-up was true.

Foerster, the No. 23 overall pick in the 2020 draft, confirmed his teammates’ inquiries, then hopped on a 7:30 p.m. flight to Raleigh.

“They’re all excited,” Foerster said. “I went to see them last night in the hotel when I got there. It’s pretty amazing.”

Tortorella said he doesn’t remember much of Foerster from training camp, which he called a “blur,” but he added that he’s received plenty of positive reports on the right winger’s play all season. In his first full season of professional hockey with the Phantoms, Foerster is tied for first on the team in points (38) and ranks second in goals (18) and assists (20). He was named an AHL All-Star in January.

Most recently, Foerster went on a five-game point streak from Feb. 22-March 4 (one goal, four assists), his second of the season.

“I’ve had an overall pretty good year down there,” Foerster said. “I mean, it was really just me waiting, getting the call. It was pretty fun down there. We had a great time; we have a great team. Those guys really helped me out down there.”

Tortorella is planning to give Foerster plenty of opportunities Thursday night to showcase his offensive prowess. Foerster skated on the second line alongside left winger Scott Laughton and center Noah Cates in morning skate. He also slotted in on the Flyers’ second power-play unit.

Before the Flyers got on the ice for morning skate, Tortorella spoke to Foerster to give him a foundation of the team’s play, then left him alone.

“I just expressed to him, I don’t want him worried about mistakes,” Tortorella said. “I don’t want him overthinking. I just want him to play.”

The Alliston, Ontario, native will be the fourth Phantom this season to make his NHL debut, joining Desnoyers, winger Olle Lycksell, and goalie Sam Ersson.

For Tortorella, a benching (or “whatever you want to call it,” he said) isn’t always a punishment. Instead, he views his tactic of keeping a player on the bench as part of the process of trying to help them improve their game.

That’s how he decided to handle Farabee and defenseman Travis Sanheim on Tuesday against the Lightning, benching them for the second period after they committed first-period penalties. But while Tortorella wasn’t pleased with Farabee’s penalties — one was a “bad” offensive-zone trip, the second was a retaliatory boarding call — they weren’t the primary source of Tortorella’s frustration.

» READ MORE: Travis Sanheim and Joel Farabee are the latest Flyers in John Tortorella’s doghouse. What’s next?

“It was a struggle away from the puck with him in that game,” Tortorella said. ”I think he’s trying to get it all together. It’s part of the process.”

Additionally, Tortorella said he sees a lot in Sanheim, who was the team’s top offensive defenseman last season (seven goals, 24 assists in 80 games). Tortorella wants Sanheim, who’s struggled this season, to adopt a more aggressive mindset.

“That’s not [going] out there hollering and yelling and running people through the wall,” Tortorella said. “I want him to constantly think about his head [and] of trying to make a difference. I think that’ll transform into everything in his game being better.”

Sanheim said he’s always been the type of player that can get up the ice and join the rush when the opportunity arises. But he added that he needs to work on his play without the puck in certain situations, from tightening gaps to pinching down low. That improvement, however, will come with time and hard work alongside assistant coach Brad Shaw.

“I don’t think it’s going to happen tonight and you’re going to see a big difference,” Sanheim said. “But it’s things that me and Shawsy are going to continue to keep looking at and working on and hopefully, we can put together a good stretch of games and get back to some better hockey and more of my style.”

Additionally, Farabee is eager to bounce back against the Hurricanes, respond the proper way, and prove to his coach that his message has been received.

“I felt like the last few games, I’ve been playing really well,” Farabee said. “Making a lot of plays, setting up guys, creating chances for myself. Getting sat definitely hurt that confidence a little bit. But nothing you can do. All you can do is focus on tonight.”

Backup goalie Felix Sandström (1-8-1, .880 save percentage) will start in net against the Hurricanes, per Tortorella. This is his first start in 25 days since Feb. 12 (4-3 loss to the Seattle Kraken). ... Tortorella said that defenseman Tony DeAngelo’s two-game suspension for spearing Lightning winger Corey Perry was “the right call” by the league. “He went over the line,” Tortorella added.