No. 20 New York Islanders Select: Cole Eiserman, LW, U.S.
U18 Team
Scouting Report
The best pure goal scorer in the draft, Eiserman became the NTDP's all-time leading goal scorer with 127 over two seasons. He averaged better than a goal per game with 58 in 57 appearances for the NTDP this season. Eiserman's shooting ability, especially with his lethal one-timer, is as good as it gets in this class. His tumble down the draft board, however, is the result of some concerns over his overall hockey sense and lack of value away from the puck.
He's improved elements of his game, but not to the degree to be viewed as anything more than a goal scorer. Because his best skill is his scoring, he's still likely to be picked in the lottery range as there's a real chance for him to become a top-six forward who will stack goals in the NHL. However, he will likely need to be paired with a play-driving center or linemate to maximize his scoring capabilities, which is why he's out of the top tier of prospects in this class.
Instant Analysis
This seemed impossible a year ago, to see Eiserman get to 20, but there he was and now the Islanders have the best goal scorer in the draft. The Islanders need to score goals. Oddly enough, New York is also the team that draft Oliver Wahlstrom and Kieffer Bellows, two of the NTDP's top scorers that didn't see their scoring translate to the NHL. I think Eiserman has much better of a chance to reach his ceiling than the previous two, however. Skating isn't as much of an issue. Eiserman has that boom-bust potential of being maybe a 40-goal scorer or the scoring not translating. It's always a crapshoot, but if you can score, you've got a good chance to make it. Eiserman will score.
