At the start of the 2023-2024 season, the 2024 NHL draft consensus first overall pick spot wasn’t up for debate. Macklin Celebrini had been at the top of the class ever since his unreal campaign in the USHL, one year prior. Right behind him in the rankings was Cole Eiserman. Throughout the year, his draft stock fell. But, there are reasons to keep an eye on this player.
Eiserman’s Ranking’s Roller Coaster Ride
Cole Eiserman is an elite goal-scoring winger coming out of the United States National Team Development Program. At the start of the season, scouts rated him at the top of the class for his remarkable finishing abilities. He has a solid frame (six foot, 197 pounds), with an exceptional release and offensive flair. This pushed many to consider him for the first spot in the rankings. As the months went on, Eiserman’s ranking began to fall. The Newburyport native went from second-ranked, to the top five. A few months later, some scouts have him out of the top ten. The analytics around his competition level and defensive play seem to be the main reason for his stock drop.
In today’s NHL, there is quite a lot of parity throughout the league. Teams rely heavily on systems and strategies to win. General managers have to evaluate a young kid, seeing how likely it is for him to buy into a structure. Their goal is to determine potential by balancing a healthy amount of risk and reward. In Eiserman’s case, his ability to fill up the net seems to be the only NHL translatable skill in his game. However, being amazingly talented at scoring goals should not be overlooked.
A Special Goal Scorer
Eiserman has scored at every trackable level. Since high school, he has a higher goal total than games played. At the U.S. national program, Eiserman surpassed Cole Caufield for most goals scored in team history. He also sits second in points behind only Jack Hughes. On every team he has been on, Eiserman has led in goals. He was always a finisher but hasn’t shown much else. This indicates his game could use some more versatility. The numbers this junior player puts up consistently is worth looking into.
As Eiserman’s junior career comes to an end, the U.S. prospect will continue his development with Boston University of the NCAA. For the 2024-25 season, he will be playing college hockey, in a bigger, stronger, and older league. He gets the opportunity to refine his game by playing with better players and a different system. It shouldn’t be surprising to see him get offensive success from the beginning of his college career.
Former Coaches’ Point Of View
A hockey player can change some habits and learn new ways to play the game throughout their career. The skill Eiserman has in natural goal scoring is unteachable. In a Mike G. Morreale article for NHL.com, NTDP coach Nick Fohr is interviewed and talks about the video sessions he has with Eiserman about his defensive play. In the same report, assistant coach and former NHLer Matt Gilroy mentions the young prospect has a remarkable off-ice work ethic. Coach Fohr adds that with the many NHL players that have played with the NTDP, he hasn’t seen anyone work as hard as Eiserman to score. He compares him to Alex Ovechkin. Both players hold the goal record in the U17 world championships.
Many players have gone from a one-dimensional style of play to a more rounded game at the professional level. Ovechkin is a good example. The same goes for Mike Bossy. Not to compare Cole Eiserman to these legends necessarily, although it is interesting to evaluate the potential reward and growth in a prospect’s development.
Eiserman Remains An Interesting Wild Card
Building a team around a player that struggles with his all-around game is often risky. Cole Eiserman shows to be a special player, that could thrive in the right environment.
This draft class is filled with talented forwards but is a gold mine for star defensemen. NHL teams will most likely value players like Anton Silayev, Artyom Levshunov, Sam Dickinson, Zayne Parekh, Carter Yakemchuk, and Zeev Buium. The top 15 is so stacked, that one of the future top pairing defensemen or the highly skilled forwards in this draft will fall to a very lucky team. Cole Eiserman could very well help a team tremendously, were he to fall in the right basket.
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