Ilya Sorokin chat After starting the 2025 World Junior Championships on Team USA's second line, New York Islanders [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/] prospect Cole Eiserman found himself dropped to the 13th forward. Unlike in the NHL, the 13th forward does suit up. However, Eiserman saw very few shifts at 5-on-5 but got opportunities on the power play. Despite the lack of minutes, Eiserman keeps producing for USA, with no goal bigger than his power-play one-timer on Saturday night, which served as the game-winning goal in a 4-1 win over Czechia to advance to the Gold Medal game: Eiserman now has three goals and four assists for seven points in six games. Following the game, Team USA head coach David Carle had this to say about No. 91: "You look at what we're asking him to do, and then he still finds a way to impact the game on the scoresheet," Carle said (H/t Scott Wheeler [https://x.com/scottcwheeler/status/1875754825918673405?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1875754825918673405%7Ctwgr%5Eda3d4837d7f09e30c0c804c5387684e526be5d5c%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftempest.saymedia.com%2F%2Fcontent-items%2Fcs02b9caadf00025f2%2FContentArticle%2Fview%2Fci02f0d47a20002623]). "He has owned it, and he has accepted that that's the best for the team, and I think his teammates recognize it. It's not easy for him, either. I recognize it. We talked about it, and it's his job to be a pro and to handle it, and he really has done it in a positive way. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjExOTAzNzI1MjgxNzQ4OTY4/screenshot-2025-01-05-at-93347am.png] "It's not easy to get a couple of 5-on-5 shifts a period and then go out and impact the power play but we don't win these games without him. I can't say enough good things about the way he has handled it and his maturity. And for him, I think sometimes he gets a little misunderstood, and he has through the past 18 months, but he cares deeply about winning. He cares a lot about the guys, and you see that behind closed doors. He's very passionate about the team's success, and it's exciting that he's handling it well and he's still impacting the game in the ways that he can." Eiserman and USA battle for gold on Sunday night at 7:30 PM against Finland on NHL Network/TSN.
