LW Cole Eiserman - Boston Univ., NCAA (2024, 20th, NYI)

Breakfast of Champs

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Apr 15, 2007
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Nah that would be an overdraft.
Lots of people are predicting the habs will take iginla and being ranked 10 on bobs list when there is essentially no separating most of the players would hardly ne an over draft.

There's almost 0 chance the habs take Eiserman and a really good chance it's Iginla
 

WarriorofTime

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Jul 3, 2010
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Lots of people are predicting the habs will take iginla and being ranked 10 on bobs list when there is essentially no separating most of the players would hardly ne an over draft.

There's almost 0 chance the habs take Eiserman and a really good chance it's Iginla
What’s your source?

There is zero chance Iginla would go 5th overall if it weren't for his last name. A winger with good, not great size and good, not elite production. It would be one of the weirdest picks I can recall imo.
 

Breakfast of Champs

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What’s your source?
On tsn 2 days ago they were talking about how a bunch of scouts they had talked to said so many prospects were so close that Iginlas bloodlines would really work in his favor as a tie breaker among a lot of guys ans that teams in the top 5 were considering him heavily.

It's obviously all heresy, but word is out there that iginla is creeping his way up and will certainly be a top 10 if not top 5 pick
 

WarriorofTime

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On tsn 2 days ago they were talking about how a bunch of scouts they had talked to said so many prospects were so close that Iginlas bloodlines would really work in his favor as a tie breaker among a lot of guys ans that teams in the top 5 were considering him heavily.

It's obviously all heresy, but word is out there that iginla is creeping his way up and will certainly be a top 10 if not top 5 pick
There it is, a horrible reason to take a player that highly, but what do I know
 

Breakfast of Champs

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There it is, a horrible reason to take a player that highly, but what do I know
Basically they said there are multiple players who are viewed as equals , and if it comes down to 2 players seen as equal- having Jerome iginla as a father would be a reason to sway in his favour.
 

WarriorofTime

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Basically they said there are multiple players who are viewed as equals , and if it comes down to 2 players seen as equal- having Jerome iginla as a father would be a reason to sway in his favour.
Tbh I think “viewed as equals” is a cop out. I know the tsn people aren’t scouts, but I’d be shocked if real scouts just view players as equals like that even if they think players are fairly close, I think there’s more nuanced evaluation.
 

Breakfast of Champs

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Tbh I think “viewed as equals” is a cop out. I know the tsn people aren’t scouts, but I’d be shocked if real scouts just view players as equals like that even if they think players are fairly close, I think there’s more nuanced evaluation.
Maybe individual scouts don't see them as equals but with 10 scouts you will have 10 completely different lists and based on aggregate rankings they are all essentially the same.

This is one of the most wide open drafts ever. Seeing a guy ranked 10th go 5th would and should not shock anyone
 

Dead Coyote

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Why is he falling so much then?
Nobody knows that he is falling. Nobody knows where NHL teams have him.

I think he's falling on lists because there's a narrative around him now and because the vast majority of internet scouts don't watch a high amount of games and tend to rely more on stats and others opinions.

It's easy to criticize a player who is one dimensional. You tend to go "Okay, we know we're good at scoring. What else can you do?" and that answer can be disappointing.

I'm also not convinced that he even is falling particularly hard as some proponents of him haven't released their final lists and others still have him high. Guys that like him like him a lot. Guys that don't, don't.

Button still has him at 8 as of March. McKenzie has him at 13 as of May. Kennedy hasn't done any new rankings since mid season but had him at 7. Draft prospects has him at 4. Recruits has him at 11 from 9. McKeens has him at 5 in the mid season rankings. Most of the lists have him around 10-13, with some having him outside of the top 15 entirely, most of which have him going at 16.

He was projected to go 2nd or in the top 5 a year ago, which is why most people see him as falling. But there are still people who feel that way about him, and there are still people who have him in the top 10. Funnily enough comparing rankings there's actually more people who had him low at the start of the season than there are now. Not that it means much since I think those people are out to lunch as scouts.

He's shown the same level of skill last year, perhaps even more so offensively, but others have shown a lot more improvement and have ballooned up the rankings based on that. I think that more than anything shows the mentality around him. But it's not like he's changed as a player all that much, good or bad. He has improved his defense and his compete and physicality for sure, but not as much as someone like Iginla who has made leaps and bounds. And he didn't have to. Because he was already a very good prospect last year.

People, to a degree, just tend to gravitate more towards the new than they do the old, and we've also seen that plenty of times with guys who were injured or didn't play. Shiny new toy syndrome is very much a thing in the prospect world.

That is by no means an excuse for him or me saying that he should be drafted higher than he will be, but it's just the truth and a potential hypothetical. I'm not an NHL scout. Maybe he interviewed poorly, or maybe his comments in articles have rubbed scouts the wrong way, or maybe they've talked to his coaches or watched tape and concluded he doesn't have the desire to improve enough to be an NHL level forward. Who knows! I sure as shit don't.

What I do know is that his offense is unreal and off the charts and that he projects as a very, very good goal scorer. I would wager good money that wherever he goes he becomes a very productive goal scorer in the NHL. He may not put up 100 points, he may not be Ovechkin or Matthews, but I do think he scores at least 20 a year. And he certainly does have potential to score 40 or 50. To me, I would rather gamble on someone who has that potential than a safer pick. There are certainly players I like more than Eiserman but I really value his offensive skills, I think they're very very translatable to the NHL and he has a good bet to continue scoring in the NHL because of that, he already has an NHL shot and much like Michkov last year has a wonderful way of anticipating plays in the offensive zone and finding avenues to score with his quick deadly accurate release that a lot of players who light up junior don't.

His goal totals are definitely inflated from cherry picking and having his team give him the puck, but from what I've heard that's also what his coaches wanted him to do. I can't really fault him for his own usage, if he's told to not give a shit about defense and hang out at the offside marker for a break out pass, well that's what he's told to do. I don't think that's great for his development by any means but coaches tend to care more about keeping their jobs and winning than development.

His offensive potential is so sky high that I am willing to ignore his defensive deficiencies, and I don't see the lazy entitled player that most do anyways. I see a guy who generally works hard, sometimes has off nights both defensively and offensively, and isn't great away from the puck. I also see a guy who creates his own chances off of being able to score from anywhere on the ice almost regardless of angle, who has an exceptional wrister and a great one timer, who has a nose for the net and is adept at pouncing on rebounds and taking away pucks from breaking out players and who has great reaction time and a quick and deadly shot that is accurate and easily capable of threading the needle. I see a guy who is going to be amazing on the powerplay and with open ice in general, whose skills easily translate to the NHL. And perhaps most importantly I see a guy who has all the tools to make it work defensively, who isn't afraid to be physical.

I definitely agree that if you're looking for a two way or defensive forward or a mean winger or center who also has skill that you shouldn't draft Eiserman. There's tons of guys like Lindstrom and Iginla that are better at those jobs. What I do see is a guy I can easily see scoring a ton of goals in the NHL. And if that's what you're looking for, I really don't think there's anyone in this draft who is better at it than he is. I would say he's the best pure scorer in this draft. Demidov is much more cerebral, a much better highlight reel, and a way better playmaker. Helenius has already proven he can play against and be productive against men and has a good shot of being an excellent two way scorer. Catton has excellent vision and IQ and playmaking. But I just don't see any of them having the same translatable skill of being able to sniff out a puck that's loose in a pile and rifling it into the net consistently, or being able to pick a corner, use the d-man as a screen and rifle it past the goalie.

That's why you draft Eiserman over these other guys. And honestly I don't know if he will get drafted before those other guys- I think there's a strong chance both Helenius and Demidov go ahead of him and about a 50/50 chance any of Catton, Lindstrom and Iginla do. But like I said, I keep hammering the point home, you draft Eiserman because you want goals. He's gonna give you that, and I'd again wager good money that he does that more than any other prospect in this draft.

He's just a different prospect than those guys, and that's perfectly fine. I'm already the type of scout who has her opinions about prospects that nobody else does, and I'm fine with that. We'll see if I'm right or not, I certainly could be.

My god did I write a wall of text. I'm so sorry anyone who reads this.
 

WeThreeKings

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Latest Athletic podcast they were continuing to communicate that the U18 didn't dispel any concerns on Eiserman and that he's going to fall and may not even make the top 10.
 

Pavel Buchnevich

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The U18's highlighted the flaws in Cole's game. He should not have played it.
He shouldn't have played it? It doesn't work that way. This isn't the NFL draft where they cheer on quitting on your team (and even so they'd probably look down on quitting on your team in the CFB playoffs).

If a player on the NTDP skipped the U18 Worlds to preserve their draft stock, they'd drop a lot more than however bad they played at the tournament would drop them.
 

Corso

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Aug 13, 2018
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The U18's highlighted the flaws in Cole's game. He should not have played it.

This is getting to be a bit much. Yes he has issues but what 17 year old prospect doesn't? He may very well fall out of the top ten (and considering the negative hype, a real possibility) but I can almost guarantee you that Cole will be a NHL player and one that scores between 30 and 40 goals a year. People on this board 10 years from now will post "gee can you believe he fell to 13" and be perplexed as to how so many teams passed him up.
 

57special

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I've gone back and forth on this guy, but would have to be happy if he is there for my team to pick at #13. He's got good size, the best shot in the draft, is the best goal scorer in the draft(certainly top 3)and is at least an above average skater. On top of that, he is the youngest player of note in the draft, almost a full year younger than players like Yakemchuk and Levshunov, which bodes well for future development.

Give him 2-3 years in college at a good program and he well may turn out to be a top line sniper. I have no inside info on his personality, but seems to come from a good family situation. Did not realize till recently that he switched from MN to Boston to be around his father as he underwent cancer treatments ... certainly not the actions of a Me,me, me spoiled brat.
 

DANOZ28

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im guessing the devils pick him unless my wild swap picks trade w/NJ if theres a decent D man available. at #13 with no D bpa (i'll pass on jiricek) im 50/50 on eiserman or greentree. just my one cent.
 

57special

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im guessing the devils pick him unless my wild swap picks trade w/NJ if theres a decent D man available. at #13 with no D bpa (i'll pass on jiricek) im 50/50 on eiserman or greentree. just my one cent.
To me it's between Eiserman and Sennecke, assuming that the teams before go chalk. Sennecke isn't even closed to being a finished player, but flashes some crazy skill and tools, when he isn't tripping over his feet, or falling down due to a still growing body(more so than most players).
 

Forge

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im guessing the devils pick him unless my wild swap picks trade w/NJ if theres a decent D man available. at #13 with no D bpa (i'll pass on jiricek) im 50/50 on eiserman or greentree. just my one cent.
As a devils fan, I'd legit be stunned if they pick him. Out of the potential options there, I'd have him at the bottom of the list
 

DANOZ28

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As a devils fan, I'd legit be stunned if they pick him. Out of the potential options there, I'd have him at the bottom of the list
well some are comparing him to caufield. in mtl caufield doesn't have tons of talent surrounding him in NJ he'd have massive talent and probably be able to shine. again just my worthless one cent.
 

Lafleurs Guy

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His game may be flawed, but you draft him for what you think he can become. He broke the scoring record with a poor overall game. Imagine what he could do if developed properly.

End of the day he has found a way to score buckets of goals. The game is won on goals for and against. A lot of players expel a ton of effort and energy but still can’t score. This guy can.

Obviously there are risks. But I’d be thrilled to get this guy. All the tools are there. Needs to go to a team with the right culture and the right coach.
 
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Pavel Buchnevich

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Obviously there are risks. But I’d be thrilled to get this guy. All the tools are there. Needs to go to a team with the right culture and the right coach.
Don't agree. This is the only one of the "Eiserman isn't as much of a risk" points people make that I think is way off.

He's a one-trick pony. His tools are pounding pucks, having decent sense of finding pucks near the net, above-average skating, and a pro average build already.

Hockey sense, puck skills, passing, puck-handling, along with board battles, effort, and defensive play are all a major work in progress, and if he's struggling there against juniors, you have to truly question if he has "the tools" in those areas.
 

Lafleurs Guy

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Don't agree. This is the only one of the "Eiserman isn't as much of a risk" points people make that I think is way off.
Maybe you missed “obviously there are risks” in the very paragraph you quoted.

But the tools - shot, size, skating, passing… that’s all average or better.

The question is the toolbox.
He's a one-trick pony. His tools are pounding pucks, having decent sense of finding pucks near the net, above-average skating, and a pro average build already.

Hockey sense, puck skills, passing, puck-handling, along with board battles, effort, and defensive play are all a major work in progress, and if he's struggling there against juniors, you have to truly question if he has "the tools" in those areas.
Once again… everyone acknowledges this. Hence the risk.

However, you’re drafting him for what you think he can be, not what he is now. The point is that even now, with a terribly flawed game, he’s STILL able to break the scoring record. The potential for an elite player is there for sure.

I think so much is going to depend on where he goes. He’s not the kind of player I’d want to start a rebuild with, but on the right team with the right coach, he could be amazing. The potential is there.
 

coooldude

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Maybe you missed “obviously there are risks” in the very paragraph you quoted.

But the tools - shot, size, skating, passing… that’s all average or better.

The question is the toolbox.

Once again… everyone acknowledges this. Hence the risk.

However, you’re drafting him for what you think he can be, not what he is now. The point is that even now, with a terribly flawed game, he’s STILL able to break the scoring record. The potential for an elite player is there for sure.

I think so much is going to depend on where he goes. He’s not the kind of player I’d want to start a rebuild with, but on the right team with the right coach, he could be amazing. The potential is there.
You keep saying this and I'm fully in agreement - he needs the right environment, coach, organization, early mentors...

Upside is someone who figures out a more complete game and can be a very poor man's Ovie or a better version of what Laine became. Which is to say a very effective player.

Downside/midrange is probably a lot of NHL games, but bouncing from franchise to franchise scoring goals and points but never really contributing to a winning environment and frustrating half the league because of the Delta between potential and reality. Maybe a Dany Heatley style player. Everyone gets excited when the deadline trade is made and is happy to see him moved on at the next deadline.
 

Forge

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well some are comparing him to caufield. in mtl caufield doesn't have tons of talent surrounding him in NJ he'd have massive talent and probably be able to shine. again just my worthless one cent.
Think there's too much fresh PTSD from holtz for the devils.

But that's just me feeling. Obviously I have no info or anything
 

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