When the Islanders selected forward Cole Eiserman with the 20th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, the expectation was that it was going to take a few years for him to arrive with the big club on Long Island. After his final season at Boston University, Eiserman turned pro this past spring and joined the Islanders’ American Hockey League club in Bridgeport and experienced his first taste of professional hockey.
And now, he’s ready for his first training camp with the Islanders.
“I’m excited,” said Eiserman after day one of Islanders Rookie Camp Friday at Northwell Health Ice Center in East Meadow. “I don’t really know what to expect…first training camp. I’m just going in with ears and eyes and try to do my best and put my front foot forward and see what I can do.”
What the Islanders are banking that Eiserman can do, eventually, at the NHL level is put the puck in the back of the net which is something is has been accustomed to doing at every level he’s been at.
-With the United States National Team Program, Eiserman scored 43 goals, to along with 29 assists, in 42 games for the U17 team in 2022-23 and then tallied 26 times and had 6 assists in 20 contests for the U18 club in 2023-24.
-In international play, Eiserman helped the United States win the Gold Medal at the 2025 World Junior Championship with 3 goals and 4 assists for 7 points in 7 games.
Cole EisermanNew York Islanders
-In two seasons at Boston University, Eiserman had 43 goals and 21 assists in 71 games.
-And in 12 games for the Bridgeport Islanders of the AHL last season, Eiserman scored his first 2 professional goals to go along with 7 assists.
There’s no question he can score, but in the dozen games he played for Bridgeport, he learned that the pro game is a whole new world when the puck is not on your stick.
“Off the puck was a lot different,” said Eiserman. “You have to be aware at all times. Guys are just moving around at all times. They’re so good at possessing the puck. They’re not just going to give you it. You have to work for it back. That’s the biggest thing I learned was just being able to have an attention span 100% of the game.”
Just the small taste of professional hockey has made Eiserman ready for his first camp with the Islanders.
“It definitely helped me,” said the 6 feet 201-pound sniper with a terrific left-handed shot. “The guys were awesome in Bridgeport and got to work in pro level a little bit which was awesome. It definitely makes it a lot more comfortable.”
For Eiserman, there is now a clear path to the NHL, something that may not have been there when he was drafted by former Islanders General Manager Lou Lamoriello. New General Manager Mathieu Darche enters his second season at the helm and is committed to a transition process where the team can compete for a playoff spot while also, slowly, turning over the roster to make the Islanders younger and faster.
Eiserman, who will likely start the season with the Hamilton Hammers, the Islanders’ new AHL affiliate, can see that there is a real opportunity to find his way to Islanders Country in the not-too-distant future.
“It’s a different time from when I was drafted,” said Eiserman, whose locker for rookie camp is right next to Victor Eklund, one of the Isles’ three 2025 first round picks who made his NHL debut in the Islanders regular season finale this past season.
“Sitting next to (Eklund) right here,” said Eiserman. “He got a game last year which was awesome. I have to earn it and work for it. It’s not just going to be given to me, but I’m excited to see this new wave of the island.”
And there is a chance, perhaps as soon as sometime this season, that the new wave of the island will bring Cole Eiserman to the show for his NHL debut.
