Cole Eіsermаn Not Fаzed By Drаft Pressure, Wаnts Teаms To Vаlue ‘Tһe Reаl Me’

The Philadelphia Flyers are no strangers to drafting talents who have been through the United States National Team Development Program, from James van Riemsdyk to Joel Farabee to Cam York. With the 12th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, Danny Briere could add Cole Eiserman to that list.

After all, he’s the current all-time top goalscorer for the USNTDP, netting 127 goals to take the title from another Cole (Caufield, that is), and has been described as “the best scorer in the draft” by head coach Nick Fohr.

The pressure should be bearing down hard on his 17-year-old shoulders. The way he sees it, it’s not.

For Eiserman, he’s not agonizing too much over the draft, similar to how he wasn’t even thinking about the goalscoring record when he broke it against Canada in the U18 World Championships.

“I just went back to the bench and the coaches and everyone were just kind of like, ‘Let’s go!'” he recalls. “I wasn’t really thinking about it.”

With so many eyes on him, it’s admirable that he’s able to tune out the noise and stay locked in on his game. The bright lights that come with etching his name into the history of such a storied program aren’t blinding him.

“When you sign the contract, you know what you’re getting into,” he said.

He also knows what he’s getting into should the Flyers take him at No. 12. He’s aware of the “hard-nosed” style that has become synonymous with Philadelphia hockey, and he knows that they can be “a tough team to play against.” Eiserman is just as tough, with a scouting report pointing out that he’s “not afraid to play with a smidge of snarl and grit.”

However, the Massachusetts native isn’t all highlight-reel goals and top-level work ethic. When asked to describe himself, he focused in one thing in particular: his commitment to his family.

“I’m a very family-oriented guy,” he said. “Everything I do…I play for them.”

With four brothers (one of whom, Shane, was drafted in the fourth round of the 2014 NHL Draft), Eiserman has had good examples to follow in his own quest for the NHL, and no matter how many opportunities he gets to shine, the love for his family burns the brightest.

So strong are those familial ties that “it was the only reason” de-committed from the University of Minnesota in order to be closer to home and play for Boston University—and they’re certainly excited to have him.

“He’s very capable of playing a complete game,” head coach Jay Pandolfo said. “Of the guys his age, he has always been able to score. It’s actually incredible. Like he can just score. But he’s got a lot more to his game as well.

“The time I’ve spent with him and talking to other people, he loves the game and we love that. We have some players here now that just have a passion for the game and they come to the rink every day wanting to get better, and that’s what we see in him.”

He’s one of the hardest-working guys on the broad (training with pros like Charlie Coyle, Kevin Hayes, and Matty Beniers), but there is one player that he’s aiming to be like once he reaches The Show.

“Sidney Crosby,” he said. “He just gets better and better as he gets older.”

And while it’s natural to want to be like Crosby if you can be like Crosby, an important hallmark of Eiserman’s game—aside from the scoring, of course—is his authenticity. While he emphasized that he’s willing to change or adjust his game should his future team need him to, he sent a simple message to whichever organization announces that they’re proud to select him: “Teams are drafting me for the real me.”

Once he’s in, the ambition is pretty simple—”score a lot of goals, eventually win the Stanley Cup”—but he’ll cross that bridge when he gets there.

For now, though, the hard work will continue as usual for Eiserman as he waits for June 28—and with it, possibly a call from Danny Briere—to roll around.

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