Islanders draft left wing Cole Eiserman at No. 20
Cole Eiserman, second from left, poses after being selected by the Islanders during the first round of the NHL hockey draft Friday, June 28, 2024, in Las Vegas. Credit: AP/Steve Marcus
LAS VEGAS — Lou Lamoriello cares very little about other team’s draft boards. All that mattered to the Islanders’ president/general manager was that Cole Eiserman, perhaps surprisingly, remained available to select with the 20th overall pick as the NHL Draft opened on Friday at the have-to-see-it-to-believe-it Sphere.
It was the first time the Islanders have picked in the first round since 2019.
The strong-shooting left wing from the U.S. National Team Development Program, who had 58 goals in 57 games, was closer to a top-10 talent in some projections, but a label as a one-dimensional player, whether fair or not, may have caused him to fall in the draft.
Eiserman, headed to Boston University to play for former Devil Jay Pandolfo, acknowledged that he sees the game differently and knows that doesn’t always please others.
“First of all, he’s a pure goal-scorer,” Lamoriello said after the first round concluded. “Let’s start off with that. As far as seeing the game differently, everyone sees it through their own set of eyes. But what we’re most pleased about is he’s going to play for a coach that I know what he can do and how he can develop people.
“It was a win-win for us. Our scouts are just delighted with where he was at. We had him rated pretty high, so we were excited he was there when we picked. Everybody has their own preference. We were looking for a certain type of player and we were able to get it.”
Rounds two through seven will be conducted on Saturday morning. The Islanders have two picks in the second round via their trade with Chicago on May 24 as they swapped No. 18 and No. 50 for Nos. 20, 54 and 61. They also have single selections in rounds four, five and six.
The 6-foot, 197-pound Eiserman, whose confidence is readily apparent, said he was excited to be drafted by the Islanders.
“I felt they really understood me as a player,” said the left-handed shot, a native of Newburyport, Massachusetts. “I always respect people like that because it takes a different mindset, I think, to understand how I think and how I play the game. So I was very comfortable and super-excited to be with them. I definitely see the game different than a lot of people. Whether you like it or not, it’s something that I’m going to bring. And they like it.”
Eiserman, who won’t turn 18 until Aug. 29, has gotten to know Boston University’s Macklin Celebrini, selected first overall by the Sharks, and joked that he was trying to convince the Hobey Baker Award winner to return to school for a second season. Eiserman also is close friends and former roommates while with the NTDP with Islanders prospect Danny Nelson, a second-round pick last year.
In fact, Nelson was quick to call Eiserman after he was selected.
“I had no idea going into today,” Eiserman said when asked if he had any indication where he might land in the draft. “So it made it exciting and super-cool when I heard my name called.”
Eiserman said he doesn't have a timeline for when he’d like to join the Islanders’ organization, saying his freshman season at Boston University, “is going to be huge for development.”
Asked what he knows about the Islanders, Eiserman quickly mentioned Hall of Famer Mike Bossy, who also was criticized for being a one-dimensional scorer before being selected 15th overall in 1977.
Lamoriello’s last first-round pick was Simon Holmstrom at No. 23 in 2019. He traded his next four first-rounders to acquire, in order, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac, defenseman Alexander Romanov and Bo Horvat.
“We would not have moved on it,” Lamoriello said when asked if he contemplated trading away a fifth straight first-round pick. “We felt comfortable when we moved down two picks with what we potentially would have gotten. We actually didn’t think that, where we were at, we could have gotten [Eiserman] at that point.”
That said, Eiserman still may be at least a couple of seasons from competing for a spot on the NHL roster.
“He’s a strong kid,” Lamoriello said. “He’s young. He just has to go mature a little and play and develop. He’s going to a great program and a great coach.”
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.