The U.S.'s Cole Eiserman (#34) is drawing comparisons to Auston Matthews at the 2023 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship in Switzerland.
photo: Matt Zambonin / IIHF
Cole Eiserman loves Sidney Crosby’s all-around game and Alexander Ovechkin’s one-timer. But this elite 2006-born U.S. sniper doesn’t hesitate when asked which NHLer’s style most closely resembles his own.
“Watching Auston Matthews as an American who is dominating the league is awesome,” said the 16-year-old Massachusetts native, who wears jersey #34 like his role model. “I think I play like Auston Matthews. Just a guy who can score kind of from anywhere and can stickhandle a little bit and make plays.”
It’s a lofty comparison, but it’s also one that Eiserman is living up to at the 2023 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship in Switzerland. His potential to be the #1 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft is plain to see.
What’s positively frightening – for opposing goalies, at least – is that the speedy Eiserman has already exceeded Matthews’ rate of U18 Worlds goal production at the same age. In 2014, the now-Toronto Maple Leafs superstar made his IIHF debut for the gold medal-winning U.S. squad and scored five goals in seven games.
“Watching Auston Matthews as an American who is dominating the league is awesome,” said the 16-year-old Massachusetts native, who wears jersey #34 like his role model. “I think I play like Auston Matthews. Just a guy who can score kind of from anywhere and can stickhandle a little bit and make plays.”
It’s a lofty comparison, but it’s also one that Eiserman is living up to at the 2023 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship in Switzerland. His potential to be the #1 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft is plain to see.
What’s positively frightening – for opposing goalies, at least – is that the speedy Eiserman has already exceeded Matthews’ rate of U18 Worlds goal production at the same age. In 2014, the now-Toronto Maple Leafs superstar made his IIHF debut for the gold medal-winning U.S. squad and scored five goals in seven games.
By contrast, Eiserman has already hit six goals in Basel. The 183-cm, 94-kg winger notched the opening goal in the 7-1 romp over Latvia and torched Norway for four more in a 12-1 romp. He also scored in the 8-4 romp over rival Finland.
Team USA is excited to see Eiserman’s sweet chemistry with centre James Hagens carrying over from the U17 national squad. En route to American gold, Hagens and Eiserman finished 1-2 in scoring with 21 and 20 points respectively at November’s World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Langley and Delta, British Columbia.
“Eiserman’s a shooter, a dangerous guy with the puck,” said the U.S.’s Ryan Leonard. “A shot-first guy with a lethal shot. When he gets the puck between the dots, there's a very good chance it's going in.”
“We've seen it all year from him at the NTDP [USA Hockey National Team Development Program in Plymouth, Michigan],” added head coach Dan Muse. “He’s been playing with most of this U18 team now for a couple of months. He's a top goal-scorer. He's a unique goal-scorer, too, in the way that he gets himself open, not just on the power play, but 5-on-5 as well.”
This year, Eiserman could even challenge the single-tournament goals record (14) shared by Ovechkin (2002) and Cole Caufield (2019).
Team USA is excited to see Eiserman’s sweet chemistry with centre James Hagens carrying over from the U17 national squad. En route to American gold, Hagens and Eiserman finished 1-2 in scoring with 21 and 20 points respectively at November’s World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Langley and Delta, British Columbia.
“Eiserman’s a shooter, a dangerous guy with the puck,” said the U.S.’s Ryan Leonard. “A shot-first guy with a lethal shot. When he gets the puck between the dots, there's a very good chance it's going in.”
“We've seen it all year from him at the NTDP [USA Hockey National Team Development Program in Plymouth, Michigan],” added head coach Dan Muse. “He’s been playing with most of this U18 team now for a couple of months. He's a top goal-scorer. He's a unique goal-scorer, too, in the way that he gets himself open, not just on the power play, but 5-on-5 as well.”
This year, Eiserman could even challenge the single-tournament goals record (14) shared by Ovechkin (2002) and Cole Caufield (2019).
The key to Eiserman’s deadly shot? Lots of reps, shooting pucks every day, outside his family home in Newburyport, Massachusetts. Stick-wise, he uses a 77 flex with an extension: “I feel like the whippier it is, the more power you can really put into it. So I like it.”
He’s committed to the University of Minnesota for 2024-25, and it’ll be intriguing to see how his performance with the Golden Gophers – however long he remains on the NCAA circuit – stacks up against his exploits at Shattuck St-Marys.
Last year with the legendary Minnesota prep school, at age 15, he racked up 56 goals in 53 games for Shattuck’s U18 squad. The only two 15-year-olds ever to score more goals in a season there are Crosby (72 goals in 57 games in 2002-03) and Jonathan Toews (64 goals in 70 games in 2003-04).
Another Shattuck St-Mary’s product who could go #1 overall in 2024 is Macklin Celebrini, who is enjoying a strong U18 Worlds debut with Canada (1+4=5 in three games). According to Eiserman, though, his relationship with Celebrini is about friendly competition, not speculation about the draft.
“Celebrini's my best friend,” said Eiserman. “I did everything with him at Shattuck. We still keep in touch, but we kind of keep off that stuff, just have fun like we always do.”
Will the U.S. win the 2023 U18 Worlds gold medal thanks in part to Eiserman’s sniper skills? Will he go on to forge an NHL and IIHF career that merits long-lasting comparisons to Crosby, Ovechkin, or Matthews? Only time will tell.
But given his great tool kit and work ethic, it’s hard to dispute that Cole Eiserman has what it takes to shoot for the top.
He’s committed to the University of Minnesota for 2024-25, and it’ll be intriguing to see how his performance with the Golden Gophers – however long he remains on the NCAA circuit – stacks up against his exploits at Shattuck St-Marys.
Last year with the legendary Minnesota prep school, at age 15, he racked up 56 goals in 53 games for Shattuck’s U18 squad. The only two 15-year-olds ever to score more goals in a season there are Crosby (72 goals in 57 games in 2002-03) and Jonathan Toews (64 goals in 70 games in 2003-04).
Another Shattuck St-Mary’s product who could go #1 overall in 2024 is Macklin Celebrini, who is enjoying a strong U18 Worlds debut with Canada (1+4=5 in three games). According to Eiserman, though, his relationship with Celebrini is about friendly competition, not speculation about the draft.
“Celebrini's my best friend,” said Eiserman. “I did everything with him at Shattuck. We still keep in touch, but we kind of keep off that stuff, just have fun like we always do.”
Will the U.S. win the 2023 U18 Worlds gold medal thanks in part to Eiserman’s sniper skills? Will he go on to forge an NHL and IIHF career that merits long-lasting comparisons to Crosby, Ovechkin, or Matthews? Only time will tell.
But given his great tool kit and work ethic, it’s hard to dispute that Cole Eiserman has what it takes to shoot for the top.