Canadiens 2024 NHL Draft Targets: The Intrigue Of Cole Eiserman

The Montreal Canadiens are going into the 2024 NHL Draft looking to add goal-scorers, and a fit with Cole Eiserman could make a ton of sense, in the right situation.

After fulfilling the prophecy that NHL betting lines had put out for the Canadiens at the beginning of the year by finishing with the 5th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, the pool of players available to the Canadiens is quite expansive.

Beyond the usual names like Cayden Lindstrom, Berkly Catton or Tij Iginla, other forwards like Beckett Sennecke or Konsta Helenius are also pushing for top-10 consideration.

However, after Macklin Celebrini,  there is perhaps no pure goal-scorer that could fill the Montreal Canadiens’ need for goals quite like Cole Eiserman

Although he may not be the favourite of the public scouting community, many NHL scouts remain intrigued by how good a player he could become down the line, as he seeks to diversify his game at the college level.

To dive deeper into Eiserman’s game and his mindset moving forward, Montreal Hockey Now sat down with the prolific goalscorer earlier this week.

More Than Just a Goalscorer

When you think of Cole Eiserman, you think goalscorer. It’s an integral part of his on-ice identity, as he has been a dominant scorer at every level he’s played in; a pace of scoring that had earned him top-5 consideration at the beginning of the year.

But scoring goals can only get you so far, and Eiserman has identified this as an opportunity to improve his game throughout the year to add different layers to his game. He sought to emulate the style of a future Hall of Famer to help inspire him this year.

“I like to model my game after a young Alexander Ovechkin,” said Eiserman in regards to the who he models his game after. “I want to be able to score big goals, but also use my body to create separation from the puck and impose my game on the opposition. It’s something I look forward to developing further in college.”

As he heads to Boston University next season to work under head coach and former NHLer, Jay Pandolfo, Eiserman is also committed to growing his 200-foot game. Boston University has had a strong program over the last decade, churning out youngsters with top offensive abilities into more complete players who are better prepared for the pro game. For Eiserman, that’s all part of the plan.

“I just want to keep working on my game and improving my two-way game,” said Eiserman on what he feels he needs to improve. “I want to get better and blocking passing lanes and closing gaps on guys. I want to be the guy you trust to have on the ice in the final minutes of the game.”

Dealing With The Noise

Eiserman’s scoring prowess was cemented during the IIHF U-18 World Championships, when he broke Cole Caufield‘s goal-scoring record with the USNDT program, notching 127 goals in just 118 games. It’s a rather impressive achievement, given how dominant Caufield was at the same age for the Americans.

Despite breaking Caufield’s goal-scoring record, Eiserman chose to credit the quality of his teammates as the main reason he was able to finally achieve the feat many experts had predicted a year earlier.

“I heard about it all year and I wanted to score to help the team, but I wouldn’t have been able to break that record without all my amazing teammates,” said Eiserman. “I played with some really talented guys and they were getting me the puck too – it wasn’t just me out there.”

But, being an elite scoring winger isn’t always going to win over everyone in hockey. Used mainly as a triggerman for the USNDT, Eiserman didn’t have the prettiest possession statistics. Although there is something to be said about how Eiserman needs to diversify his game, there has been a lot of noise online in regards to some holes or perceived attitude problems.

That kind of criticism is just part of the process for the young forward.

“It happens to the best players in the league. I don’t make much of it, I just try to be the best version of myself every time I touch the ice,” admitted Eiserman regarding comments about his game on social media. “When I talk to scouts, I tell them what I want to improve on and where I want to take my game, and I stay true to that. I feel I improved my game as the season went on and I think that I can be more than just a goal-scorer.”

Thriving Under Pressure

Despite all the noise and the pressure that was put on his back this season to best Caufield’s goal-scoring record, Eiserman relished the challenge of being to go out and do something special.

Without giving away the interest the Montreal Canadiens may have in leading up to the 2024 NHL Draft, Eiserman expressed his interest in playing in a hockey-mad market where pressure is at its highest.

“Pressure is fun, it brings the best out of you,” said Eiserman at the idea of playing for a big market team like Montreal. “You want to get up and win for your team and get the fans out of their seats. But I want to contribute any way I can; not just scoring goals, but with a big hit or responsible play.”

When discussing the Montreal Canadiens more specifically, Eiserman drew some parallels between himself and Habs forward Juraj Slafkovsky, who also had to endure a mass of questionable takes throughout the last two years, especially leading up to the 2022 NHL Draft.

In his mind, Slafkovsky’s path since being drafted has made him one of the most underrated players in the NHL, as he rose above all the pressure and noise to become one of the more physically dominant wingers in the NHL at just 19.

I think (Juraj) Slafkovsky is one of the most underrated players in the league,” said Eiserman. “I watched him all year, and he improved so much – like his timing, using his body and his shot. Now he’s a force out there. I think he’s going to be a superstar.”

It will be interesting to see where Cole Eiserman will land at the NHL Draft. Some may have a point in saying that drafting the goal-scorer at 5th overall may be a tad of a reach at that rank, but we’ve learned to never say never when it comes to the Montreal Canadiens and the NHL Draft.

Could he be an interesting option to trade up for? Time will tell.