With the 20th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, the New York Islanders have selected Cole Eiserman from the US National Team Development Program (USNTDP) Juniors.
About Cole Eiserman
When discussing a player like Cole Eiserman, there are two obvious points of conversation to build upon. First, for the positive, it wasn’t that long ago when most people covering the draft would have considered the high-scoring forward the second-best player of this class. He has, arguably, the best shot out of any of his peers, and when it comes to raw scoring potential, few players could match his potential output.
Related: 2024 NHL Draft: Live Tracker
The second part of the conversation, however, is why he is no longer at the top of most draft boards. Throughout his final season leading into the draft, Eiserman’s game seemed to stall, as he never really developed past a high-scoring forward with his defensive lapses at times. Also, of particular concern is his skating, which is a bit mediocre for a player with so much offensive potential. If this isn’t improved, it could limit his ability to contribute on the rush, which might prevent his steps into the NHL.
So, you’re getting a bit of a risky prospect with Eiserman. He has top-line potential, but also many red flags that could give off the signs of a bust as well.
THW Prospect Profile Excerpt
If there’s one thing that has stayed consistent — and lethal — in Eiserman’s game, it’s his shot. Now just 10 goals away from the US National Team Development Program’s all-time goal record, he continues to prove that he has the most dangerous shot of anyone in this year’s draft class. In 45 games this season with the National Team Development Program (NTDP), he’s tallied 48 goals and 73 total points. He’s currently seventh all-time in points for the program, thanks to a 69-goal, 104-point 2022-23 campaign.
He can, and will, shoot from anywhere in the offensive zone with pinpoint accuracy, showcasing his deadly and deceptive release en route to beating the opposing goalie cleanly. He can release the puck in extremely tight spaces, using his supple hands to quickly toe-drag release around defenders; he doesn’t need to be open to be a goal-scoring threat, though he is also excellent at reading the defense in-zone and finding open shooting lanes for himself. In addition to his shot, he’s a hard worker on and off the ice, not being afraid to play with a smidge of snarl and grit along the boards in order to win pucks back for himself.
On the flip side of his unequivocal goal-scoring aptitude, he’s got some room to improve on many facets of his game, hence his significant drop-off in draft position projection. While he’s a decent playmaker, his passing capabilities are nothing to write home about. He struggles at times to find open space when carrying the puck while not in a shooting lane and thus is prone to losing it to defensemen rather than prolonging offensive zone time by finding available teammates.
Related: THW Draft Guide
His skating is another major pain point in his game — he’s sporting neither quick acceleration nor high-end top speed, and it costs him in a rush-style offense and in transition. There’s no denying his skill in a cycle offense; he’s great at finding space to shoot when he doesn’t have possession of the puck and has a quick-fire trigger from tight spaces which can and should be considered a coveted asset. At the same time, his struggles with straight-line speed and acceleration don’t project particularly well to a rush-style system that’s reliant on speedy breakouts and capitalizing on odd-man rushes.
Continue Reading the Full player profile here.
How This Affects the Islanders’ Plans
For the Islanders, patience will be key to developing Eiserman. He won’t be the kind of player you can just drop into your lineup as an 18-year-old, as his toolkit is rough and will need time to be refined.
The great news is time will be provided. Eiserman has committed to playing hockey with Boston University, which will give him up to four additional years to develop his toolkit at a top university in the United States. More than likely, after two to three years he’ll be ready to take that step to professional hockey, which will put him right on track to grow alongside the Islanders’ core cast of players.
Overall, New York has to be thrilled to get Eiserman at 20th overall. In some minds, he’s a top-three talent who fell down the draft board due to fixable issues. He’s a true home-run swing and if they hit, they could have their offensive sniper for the next decade-plus, which is something every team dreams of after leaving the draft floor.