Montreal Canadiens: Cole Eiserman Gunning For Caufield’s Scoring Record

Don’t look now but 17-year-old Cole Eiserman’s hot start has sparked debate about him beating the goal-scoring record for the United States National Team Development program – a record which is currently held by Montreal Canadiens 2019 15th overall selection Cole Caufield.

With the Canadiens struggling to score, and Eiserman scoring at a high pace, this guy deserves some attention. If Macklin Celebrini has already been picked, it would be a great idea to add this guy to the Habs’ top six. The Newburyport, Massachusetts native has started off his 2023-24 season on an absolute tear, with 22 goals through 17 games.

Hypothetically, if he stays healthy all year, he could move up from third in USNTDP goal scoring history with 91 goals. He sits behind only Phil Kessel’s 105, and Cole Caufield’s 126. At his current pace, he should pass Caufield and rewrite the record books. He is also well within the parameters to leapfrog Caufield’s 72 goals in 64 games.

I can feel how electric the Bell Centre would be with Caufield on one side and Eiserman on the other on the powerplay. With Guys like Nick Suzuki, Kirby Dach, Lane Hutson and Juraj Slafkovsky in the mix, the offensive punch should ignite the olé olé olé’s in the crowd. Adding another pure goal scoring winger, with a prowess on par with Caufield’s would be lethal for the Canadiens.

Inconsistencies can be dealt with; as goalscorers tend to be streaky. But so long as Eiserman irons out his two-way game this year, and then his rookie year in 2024-25 with Boston University he could become an elite talent for the Habs’ top six. He can flat-out shoot the puck, and his innate ability to settle difficult passes allows him to burn goaltenders routinely.

He is a good passer, but with time that should be a skill that improves for him to become a dual threat in the offensive zone. Eiserman’s shot and offensive mind allow him to find soft spots to unleash his toolkit of great shot styles. With a solid playmaking game, he will become unpredictable which should work in his favour on the scoreboard.

The 20th game of the season has yet to come, so there is plenty of time for him to develop. Which means more goals and more growth, in preparation for the next step in his career. College hockey with the BU Terriers, which have quite the cast of talent in their own right.

With Quinn Hutson and Lane Hutson likely moving on after this season. The Terriers will add Eiserman to the mix with Macklin Celebrini unless he plays in the NHL right away. Add Cole Hutson and Tom Willander to the offensive attack and BU stays looking scary. There’s a chance that both he and Celebrini will play together, and there’s no question that Kent Hughes knows all about Eiserman, having sons playing in the United States League.

Also, with the World Juniors set for the Christmas holidays, there’s a fair chance that we could see Hutson working the USA powerplay alongside Eiserman. Losing games isn’t fun for anyone -team, coach or fans. But a little silver lining, is players like Celebrini and Eiserman, among others that could be available to the Canadiens come June’s draft.

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