It has been a long time coming for New York Islanders fans to see their organizational hierarchy walk up to the podium and make a first-round selection. That changed on Friday night for the first time since 2019 when Simon Holmstrom was drafted.
Related: Grading the New York Islanders 2024 Draft Picks
The draft class lacked depth outside of some of the big names that were in the top 14. It was unclear what types of players would be left with, but all the Islanders could do was hope somebody high on their board would slide.
Adding a Potential Blue Chip Prospect
It happens every year, but once the talents of Zeev Buium and Konsta Helenius were taken, there might have been serious doubt that the organization would be able to add a potential difference-maker to the pipeline.
There was one name left that would have filled a huge need for the Islanders as a scoring winger they have been desperately seeking since new Stanley Cup champion Kyle Okposo left for free agency in 2016. That prospect was USA Hockey National Team Development Program product Cole Eiserman, who we had ranked eighth on our consensus board.
He checks every box for the organization regarding what they are looking for. The 17-year-old ranks first in NTDP history in goals (127) and second in points (193). Eiserman has outscored Clayton Keller, Phil Kessel, and Patrick Kane, all of which have turned out to be impact NHLers.
Islanders fans should be delirious that he fell to them at 20th overall and excited about his long-term outlook. However, the expectations should be tempered in the short term. Eiserman isn’t an NHL-ready prospect yet and is likely at least two years away from the big show. And it will be probably longer than that until he makes a major impact on the roster.
Right now, development and helping Eiserman become the best player possible is priority number one, whether that takes two years or five. We know next season the Massachusetts native will play for Boston University in the NCAA. The left winger will be in a unique position, where he will have Jay Pandolfo as his coach, who has a history as a player for general manager and president Lou Lamoriello when he was with the New Jersey Devils. Plus, one of the team’s 2024 second-round picks, Kamil Bednarik, will be joining Eiserman at Boston University.
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