ALLISTON'S TYSON FOERSTER MAKES NHL DEBUT

Alliston hockey player Tyson Foerster has taken the next big leap in his professional career.

Foerster, 21, made his NHL debut with the Philadelphia Flyers March 9, after head coach John Tortorella had to call up players from the farm team to fill out the roster.

His family said it couldn't have gone any better.

"He played great, and so far the coach John Tortorella has been very happy with his play," said his mom Sherri Foerster.

The former Barrie Colts player, who was drafted by the Flyers in October 2020, had his family with him in the stands to watch the Flyers take on the Carolina Hurricanes.

"There were 11 family and friends who went to his first game," she said, noting his brother even made the long, 21-hour journey from Dawson, British Columbia, to watch him play in person.

In a postgame interview, Foerster said he "had a great time." While the Flyers fell 0-1 to the Hurricanes, he said the team "played hard" and the experience was "super fun."

The Ontario Hockey League highlighted his debut in a recent blog post, noting Foerster spent 13 minutes on the ice, blocked three shots and racked up two shots.

Foerster, who is a forward with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in the AHL, played his second game March 11 against the Pittsburgh Penguins, and his third match March 14

against the Las Vegas Golden Knights. His next game will be March 17 against the Buffalo Sabres.

Foerster, who plays centre, started playing minor hockey in Alliston as a kid, and as he developed over the years, he advanced to the Triple A level in Barrie.

He also recently competed at the AHL All-Stars Tournament, where he came in second in the accuracy competition.

He also played on Team Canada last year when the team won gold at the World Juniors.