Good Morning, Islanders Country.
I hope everyone is enjoying their summer.
“The New York Islanders are on the clock” are words we haven’t heard since 2019, and as the moments ticked down, there were some somewhat surprised that this was the year GM Lou Lamoriello decided to hold onto the 20th pick in the draft after trading back two spots with the Chicago Blackhawks on May 24th.
The Islanders likely didn’t project that F Cole Eiserman was going to be on the draft board at either 18 or 20 on Friday night, but there he was, the consensus best scorer in the 2024 draft class, still available as the Islanders contingent led by captain Anders Lee stepped onto the stage at The Sphere in Las Vegas.
While prospect pundits debated whether Eiserman was a sure Top-10 pick, almost all agreed that he did one thing better than any skater in the draft, and that was score goals. The US National Team Development Program started in 1996, and no player has scored more goals than Eiserman, who tops a list that includes the likes of Cole Caulfield, Phil Kessel, and Patrick Kane.
He also did it as one of their younger players. With an Aug. 29th birthday, he was just two weeks away from being 2025 NHL Draft eligible. He’s slated to play at Boston University next season.
“First and foremost, Cole Eiserman’s the best scorer in the draft. I don’t think it’s a question. And I love Macklin Celebrini. He’s the only other one in my opinion that’s close, but Cole’s just better. He just scores in different ways.” - Nick Fohr, US NTDP Head Coach
Byron Bader of Hockey Prospectus writes of Eiserman’s skill set, “Players that look like this very rarely miss the NHL. And there's a good chance Eiserman develops into a star.” That’s the thing that stands out for me. There’s no guarantee that you are drafting an NHL contributor at No. 20, but so many that study prospects for a living feel not only is Esierman a more than likely NHL player but that he has start potential, which the Islanders prospect pool desperately needed.
“His critics will compare him to NTDP alum Oliver Wahlstrom, who didn’t reach his potential because the rest of his game never got there. Wahlstrom scored 72 goals in 125 games at the program. Eiserman scored 127 in 119 games. I think we’re talking about a different level of finisher,” wrote Scott Wheeler in The Athletic, who had Eiserman ranked 7th in this draft class.
Wheeler’s colleague, Corey Pronman, concedes that Eiserman is the best scorer in the draft and is “deadly on the man advantage” but wanted to see him drive the play more at even strength. Fine, there had to be a reason why he dropped to 20, and if that’s the reason, so be it. Power plays win a lot of hockey games and a lot of playoff games, too. Having that skill set as a feature at 17 years old is rare.
On an Elite Prospects video breaking down Eiserman’s game, they say that his skating mechanics are solid and that he could accelerate up the ice and beat defenders one-on-one. However, that’s not what makes his game so appealing at the NHL level. It’s that he’s best at shooting the puck off the pass.
Like all great goal scorers, Eiserman has a unique knack for reading plays as they develop, finding space, and being in the right place to finish.
So why did he slip down to 20? Well, it’s a bit complicated. Despite his gaudy offensive numbers, he was saddled with the label of being “one-dimensional” and viewed as a player with a selfish style that wasn’t defensively focused. Indeed, like all young players, his two-way game will need to round out, but he possesses high-end skills and hockey IQ in the offensive zone that teams covet in today’s NHL.
“He is a driven scorer. He eats, breathes, lives scoring. That’s all he wants to do,” said his head coach Nick Fohr. He has room to grow and mature; if that happens, and he becomes a complete player, his offensive game will give him a chance to be special and the steal of the 2024 NHL Draft.
This type of pick will almost certainly move the Islanders up on the annual prospect rankings. After all, those who publish the rankings love the kid. More importantly, it will infuse the organization with top-end offensive talent that we get to watch develop over the next several years, hoping that he’s NHL-ready while some of the Islanders’ younger core are still in their prime.
I can get used to this having first-round pick thing.
And we leave you with this… a scene from Ryan Pulock’s destination wedding in Venice.
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