Minnesota Wild 2024 NHL Draft Target: Cole Eiserman

Continuing the Minnesota Wild 2024 NHL Draft Target series with US NTDP forward Cole Eiserman.

Continuing the Minnesota Wild 2024 NHL Draft Target series, today we look at a forward from the USNTDP, Cole Eiserman. 

The NHL Draft lottery was yesterday which was headlined by the San Jose Sharks getting the first overall pick. The Wild got the 13th overall pick which is where they would pick based on standings. 

Now that we know where the Wild will pick in the Draft, we can continue the Wild Draft Target Series. We have already wrote about three possible defensemen to target and one forward. We will continue today with another forward in Eiserman. 

If you would have told me before the season started that Cole Eiserman could be a draft target for the Minnesota Wild in the 2024 draft I would have said you're crazy. 

Before the 2023-24 season started, Eiserman was projected to be a top three pick in the NHL Draft. But after a lot of improvement by others in his draft class, Eiserman has fallen almost out of the top-ten. 

Not only that but the way Eiserman plays sometimes is frustrating, which might be the biggest reason why he's fallen in many people's draft rankings. In terms of skill he's a top five pick, maybe even a top three pick. But based on his all around game, he could fall out of the top ten. 

He can be seen as maybe a little selfish or too cute sometimes and that's where frustration from scouts may come into play. One too many moves may work in Juniors and might work a little in College but it will not work in the NHL. 

Eiserman was originally a Minnesota Gopher commit but flipped his commitment to Boston University before the season started. 

Besides all this, he's a scorer. And a pretty good one at that. Eiserman broke the NTDP record for most career goals with 127 in 119 games. Cole Caufield had the original record with 126 goals in 123 games.

Caufield scored 72 goals in 64 games for the U18 NTDP team in 2018-19. Eiserman had 58 goals in 57 games this year for the U18 NTDP team. 

A quick comparison that jumps out is Clayton Keller who was drafted by the Arizona Coyotes with the seventh overall pick in the 2016 draft. The two of them have the exact same Star and NHLer Probabilities on Byron Bader's Hockey Prospecting model, which you see in the image above. 

Eiserman's three Draft Year Comparisons are three guys that would make for a great draft selection with pick No. 13. It is just a matter of if Eiserman is available at 13. 

With the right coaching and development it would be a fair assumption to predict Eiserman to be like a Clayton Keller in the NHL. 

Considering the prospects, players, and staff that the Wild have, Eiserman would not be a bad pick at all if he was still available.

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