Cole Eiserman – 2024 NHL Draft Prospect Profile

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Cole Eiserman

2023-24 Team: USNTDP Juniors (USHL)
Date of Birth: Aug. 29, 2006
Place of Birth: Newburyport, MA, USA
Ht: 6-foot-0 Wt: 196 pounds
Shoots: L
Position: LW
NHL Draft Eligibility: 2024 first-year eligible

Rankings

Once touted as the undisputed second-overall pick to surefire superstar Macklin Celebrini, Cole Eiserman has slipped quite a bit in this year’s rankings as a product of his competitors’ stocks rising while his play has remained somewhat stagnant, if not slightly worsening.

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.

Related: THW’s 2024 NHL Draft Guide

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.

Cole Eiserman USNTDP
Cole Eiserman, USNTDP (Rena Laverty / USA Hockey’s NTDP)

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.

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.

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Perhaps the bigger issue here is his lack of ability in transition. As a passenger player, his game projects fairly well: find space, get the puck, shoot, and score. As of right now, though, he isn’t going to be a player who brings the puck from zone to zone, and that’s a major issue in today’s speed-centric NHL. His speed makes it easier for defenders to poke-check the puck away from him while attempting a zone entry, and his lack of agility doesn’t help his case transitionally either.

Finally, there are some concerns with his defensive play. Naturally, as a goal-scoring threat, he shouldn’t necessarily be expected to be a high-quality defender, but it’s on the borderline of being a liability. He has some lethargy away from the puck, though he is, generally speaking, a hard worker — I think it’s a processing-speed issue with defensive positioning more than I believe that he doesn’t have a desire to make a defensive impact.

Cole Eiserman – NHL Draft Projection

His stagnancy in improving his game has left him a near-impossibility to predict, though he’s undoubtedly going to be a top-half selection as a byproduct of his incredible shot. Rankings have him anywhere from third overall to 16th, and there isn’t really a particular directional skew of that wide range, either. I would guess that he drops well past the second-overall rank he’s garnered for years and gets selected in the 8-12 range.

Quotables

“Eiserman is constantly making an impact each shift he is out there for. In the offensive zone, he is a good forechecker, will fight for pucks down low and in the corners. Eiserman will rely on his reach to stick-lift attackers and force a disruption in oppositional puck possession. He has good puck manipulation and will use it to draw in attackers and then quickly pass underneath the stick to an open teammate. Eiserman has an excellent shot, especially from range.” – Josh Tessler, SMAHT Scouting

“While his shot, offensive routes, and ability to release in tight space continue to be top-of-the-class strengths, it’s simply not enough. A lack of overall engagement, poor decision-making, a lack of explosive skating, and an overall passivity have regularly marred viewings.” – David Saad, Dobber Prospects

Strengths

  • Lethal shot from all ranges and angles
  • Soft hands
  • Work ethic
  • Slight physical edge
  • Not afraid to battle along the boards

Under Construction – Improvements to Make

  • Creating space in transition
  • Work on pushing play forwards
  • Continue to better his top speed and acceleration
  • Playmaking has room to improve
  • Hockey IQ

NHL Potential

As I alluded to earlier, it’s become increasingly difficult to project Eiserman’s translation to the NHL. On one hand, his shot in and of itself is already top-of-an-NHL-lineup quality and he could very well fix the issues he has with his game in a year or two outside of the NHL. On the other, he didn’t really improve those facets of his game all that much since first debuting with the NTDP in 2022-23, and may never reach the point where he has multiple dimensions to his game. I’m bullish on Eiserman, though, and think that he will be a top-six, goal-scoring winger for many, many years. He has legitimate 40-plus goal potential if he develops correctly and gets paired with the right playmaking center.

Risk-Reward Analysis

Risk – 3/5, Reward – 5/5

Fantasy Hockey Potential

Offense – 8.5/10, Defense – 4.5/10

Awards/Achievements

Eiserman paced Team USA in goals in a 2022-23 World Junior Championship that saw the Americans take home the gold medal. He also led Team USA to a U17 World Hockey Challenge first-place finish while scoring the most goals there as well. In 2020-21, he was named a 14U USA Tier I National Champion. He was not selected for the 2024 World Junior Championship. As mentioned earlier, he is currently second all-time in goals for the NTDP with 117, and seventh all-time in points with 177.

Cole Eiserman Stats

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