NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Forward prospect Cooper Foster is used to going under the radar. In his OHL draft, he dropped out of the first round and fell to the Ottawa 67's in the second round. Coming into this year's NHL draft, his name wasn't seen on many mock drafts.
“I’m used to not getting the recognition,” Foster said in an interview with the Ottawa 67's team website. “Coming from the Soo, you don’t get the attention guys in Toronto might, but I knew this was a big year for me. It wasn’t easy.”
The Penguins recognized something in Foster this week in Nashville, and selected him with their sixth-round pick (No. 174 overall) on Day 2 of the draft on Thursday.
Foster, who just turned 18 this month, played his first full season this past year for the Ottawa 67's in the OHL. The 5 foot 11, 172-pound, left-handed shot played in 63 games for Ottawa and scored 19 goals and 17 assists
Foster primarily played in a bottom-six role for Ottawa, including both as a center and a wing. He earned his way into top-line left wing minutes toward the end of Ottawa's season.
Jamie Henderson, the 67's Northern Ontario regional scout, praised Foster's work ethic in an interview with the team's website.
“Cooper is really driven to be a good player,” Henderson said. “He’s a student of the game, and he’s always working on his craft to take himself to another level. He’s really coachable ... One of the things I’m most proud of is his maturity off the ice. His commitment to getting into shape, and the work that he put in during the season and during the summer. Physically, he’s a different person than he was 15 or 16 months ago.”
Two of the major draft ranking services (not many of them go this deep into the draft) had Foster on their lists. Draft Prospects Hockey had him just under 50 spots higher than the Penguins took him at No. 126, and FC Hockey had him 50 spots later than the Penguins took him, at No. 224.
In FC Hockey's scouting report on Foster, they call him "an effective two-way forward who excels in the details of the game. He may not have standout skill or elite skating ability, but he compensates with strong off-the-puck play and a high compete level. Offensively, he is a capable playmaker and shooter, although he may not excel in open space.”
What the Penguins see in Foster is untapped potential.
"Cooper Foster was kind of a guy that was maybe lower in the lineup for the Ottawa 67's," Penguins director of amateur scouting Nick Pryor said. "But we feel as he turns into his 18-year-old year and 19-year-old year, there's more opportunity presented to him. We really like his sense on both sides of the puck, and we feel that there's skill and offensive production that are kind of untapped at this time. And as more opportunity comes his way, he'll be able to take advantage of it."
Pryor said that the expectation is that Foster will attend Penguins development camp, which is set to be held July 1-3 at the Lemieux Complex.
