NHL's 2024 First Overall Pick Macklin Celebrini Shares Thoughts On Islanders' Cole Eiserman

The New York Islanders couldn't believe that winger Cole Eiserman fell to them at No. 20 this past NHL Draft.

The 17-year-old is a pure goal-scorer, potting 24 goals with 25 assists in just 24 games playing for USNDT in the USHL.

He set a new record for the most goals in the program's history, with 127, as well as 52 power-play goals.

But he fell in the draft, and the Islanders were able to add him to their prospect pool because scouts view him as a one-dimensional player.

Related: Sniper Cole Eiserman Selected By The New York Islanders At No. 20

In today's NHL, if a player can't play respectable in their own zone or away from their puck, their careers at the top level will be short-lived.

However, Eiserman has a ton of time to develop, and Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello cited that he has a lot of trust in his former player and current head coach at Boston University, Jay Pandolfo, to get Eiserman to the next level.

Related: Islanders Lou Lamoriello On Drafting Cole Eiserman, Keeping Pick

The defensive game can be learned, but the ability to score...you either have that or you don't.

How good of a goal scorer is Eiserman?

Macklin Celebrini, the first overall pick at the 2024 NHL Draft by the San Jose Sharks, spoke about Eiserman, as the two were teammates at Shattuck St. Mary's and in the USHL.

"He's an amazing player. When we were at Shattuck's -- obviously, it was the lowest level -- but every time I got him the puck, he scored," Celebrini said as a guest on the " Spittin' Chiclets " podcast. "It was crazy. Like every breakaway, whether I give him to her or not, you just knew he was putting it in the back of the net. I haven't had that feeling with anyone else that I played with.

"If he gets an opportunity and he misses, he'll be more mad at himself than you could get mad at him. He's more disappointed in himself. He knows what he can do. And it's not even like his shot is really good. His release is unbelievable. But it's where he puts it. His knowledge of actually putting the puck in the net, I feel, is his real strength."

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