Cole Eiserman looks poised to be everything Islanders bet on with polarizing first-round pick
NY Post
It’s only halfway through his first college season, but already Cole Eiserman looks on his way to being the player the Islanders envisioned upon drafting him 20th overall last summer.
Eiserman was one of the more polarizing prospects in the draft — a born scorer with questions about the rest of his game — and the Islanders took a leap in spending their first first-round pick since 2019 on him. It was a vote of confidence in both Eiserman’s sheer ability and Boston University coach Jay Pandolfo, a Lou Lamoriello acolyte. But mostly the former.
For a good endorsement, look no further than Macklin Celebrini, Eiserman’s roommate at Shattuck St. Mary’s Prep and one of his closest friends.
“He’s an unbelievable goal scorer,” Celebrini said last week. “I had a lot of fun playing with him ’cause I knew if I got him the puck, he’d score.”
That has kept up at BU. Through his first 18 college games, Eiserman has 19 points, including a hat trick last weekend against Vermont.
He also averaged a point per game with Team USA while winning gold at World Juniors, embracing a role as the 13th forward during the knockout round.
We might as well start talking about this now. As early as next Tuesday, it’s at least possible that Carlos Beltran will earn the 75 percent of the vote necessary to gain entrance to the Hall of Fame. And when that happens — if not now, then some year soon — it’s going to be a most interesting thing to watch how Mets fans react.