USNTDP Head Coach Believes Cole Eiserman Could Score 50 In The NHL

If you ask around the city of Montreal, Quebec you will find many who believe David Reinbacher over Matvei Michkov was a mistake.

Scouts have collectively agreed that Michkov projects as an elite 50-goal potential scorer at the NHL level. Michkov has a variety of shot styles and he has developed a knack for beating KHL goalies with each of them. Montreal sorely lacks another star-quality prospect who can break a game open simply with his offensive zone skills and shot, with only Cole Caufield.

I have spoken at length about the 2024 Draft's best prospects, and I love what Cole Eiserman brings to the table. He is a pure goal scorer, and he has had a ton of success devastating goalies from all over the attacking zone throughout his career. Like Caufield, and Auston Matthews who Eiserman idolizes, he loves to work on his craft, shooting pucks every chance that he gets. 

On the Sick Podcast Recrute’s Draft Cast, Grant McCagg interviewed United States National Team Development Program head coach, Nick Fohr. 

He had plenty to say, but specifically, he gave some great quotes and insight about Eiserman, both the player and the person. Fohr mentioned that Eiserman reminds him of Matthews, who also played for USNTDP because the two constantly worked on their shot. He fully expects that Eiserman will be a 50-goal scorer for whichever NHL team ends up drafting him. 

Fohr has been an advocate for Eiserman’s development, and he has challenged him to work on other parts of his game. Naturally, this will raise his draft stock, but also make him a much more multi-dimensioned hockey player. Not 18 until next year, Eiserman will play this season in the USHL. 

The Boston University Terrier commit, will head to Beantown season, unless he proves ready right out of camp in September of 2024. If your team needs to put the puck in the net, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better option than Eiserman. The Habs fit the bill and could benefit from having Eiserman in the fold, opposite Caufield on the man advantage, with Kirby Dach and Nick Suzuki down the middle. 

Add in Juraj Slafkovsky and Joshua Roy, once he is ready and the Habs could have themselves a pretty potent offence. We haven’t even mentioned Filip Mesar who is rolling with the Kitchener Rangers in the Ontario Hockey League. 

Anyway, the team is going through a rebuild, and they could use a high-end forward or two from the 2024 Draft. Eiserman is the man for the job, and with some maturing and growth, he will present a very shiny piece for the Habs, should they find themselves within one of the top five selections. He scores goals, and along with Caufield, the pair will have a ton of great passers to grow with, if the Habs could fall on such luck. 

Eiserman will continue to grow and beat goalies, like Caufield and Matthews did before him. While he has dropped down draft rankings boards due to concerns about his overall game, his talent cannot be ignored. The 17-year-old has decimated the USHL with 11-2-0 totals through his last 10 games.

From a production standpoint and strictly looking at his offensive game, Eiserman will benefit from a guy like Adam Nicholas (Canadiens Director of Player Development). Martin St. Louis can work on the offensive zone things. Eiserman could be somebody to look at with Winnipeg's first - be it a trade up or if Eiserman slips down the board on draft day.