The Philadelphia Flyers forward prospect was out more than four months recovering from surgery for a dislocated shoulder, but the time away allowed the 20-year-old to work on other areas of his game.
He said he now feels better prepared to push for an NHL spot this season.
"Everything happens for a reason," said Foerster, the No. 23 pick of the 2020 NHL Draft. "It [stunk] a lot. I wanted to be playing, I wanted to be with the guys every night and working out with them and doing all that sort of stuff. But I knew it's a bigger picture and I got to work, get my shoulders healthy now so I can be ready to go in the future."
Foerster was playing with Lehigh Valley of the American Hockey League during a game against Charlotte on Nov. 6 when the injury occurred.
"We had a 5-on-3 power play. … I was just diving for the puck to try and keep it in, and my elbow hit the ice before my body did and [the shoulder] just popped out and it hurt for a bit," he said. "I continued playing and then I was like, I don't think something's right. I went and got it looked at and they said I'd have to get surgery."
It was a slow road back, including about a month where he was cleared to go on the ice but could not use a stick.
But being forced to focus solely on his skating and lower-body work with director of player development Kjell Samuelsson and skating coach Slava Kuznetsov ended up working to his benefit and set the foundation for a transformative offseason.
"It's a pro body now," senior adviser to the general manager for player development Mike O'Connell said. "You can tell he's gained some weight. He looks stronger. … I see a huge difference in his physique, the way he carries himself. He's eating properly. His strength, it's very, very noticeable because I haven't seen him in probably three or four months, and you see the progress he's made in three or four months."
Foerster returned to play March 25 with Barrie of the Ontario Hockey League, and the Flyers noticed the increased strength, especially in his lower body, which made his skating better.
"It's definitely improved," Flyers special assistant to the general manager Daniel Briere said. "He's never going to be a Connor McDavid-type skater. But as he gets stronger I think he gets more efficient, and I also like to think for him … he's a smart player, he understands how to position himself to be successful and that's kind of what I see with him. I don't have any issues. I think the skating won't be an issue for him."
The only issue Foerster has now is proving to the Flyers that he is ready for a full-time role in the NHL.
"He's going to get a look," Briere said. "We're more concerned about him playing a lot of hockey games at the moment. If you put him in our lineup, is that the best thing for him, playing 12-16 minutes a night on the Flyers? Or would he get more out of playing every night, 18-20 minutes in Lehigh Valley? That's the thing that we're going to be very careful with."
