It's just that… well, he didn't really follow it. And that's served him perfectly well, thank you very much.
"Coming over, the plan was either to go over for a couple of years and develop, get better as a player, then come back, be a better player and play in the first division in Germany," admitted the Laval Rocket forward, who at the time was under contract with Hamburg in the DEL. "But I remember the words from the GM in Germany who signed me. He said, 'If you do well over there, we won't see you again.' That's exactly what happened, up to now."
After an enjoyable Junior experience in Medicine Hat, Eisenschmid earned a spot on the St. John's IceCaps following a strong showing at Canadiens development camp in 2015.
"From that point on, I was just getting closer and closer to my dream. It's not over yet. I'm 23 years old now, I'm still dreaming of playing in the NHL," said the native of Marktoberdorf, Germany. "I've come a long way. I was undrafted, I was a free agent, but I never stopped focusing on the goal. I never stopped dreaming of it, up to now. I'm still young, and I believe I can still make it."
If ever Eisenschmid needs a little pick-me-up from the trials and tribulations of the game, he doesn't have to look further than his own family. Starting with his older sister, Tanja, who played in the 2014 Olympics in Sochi. Unfortunately,
Germany's women's squad didn't qualify for the upcoming Games in Pyeongchang, but his younger sister, Nicola, also cracked the lineup that would've competed.
"They would've been on the team, but they lost in the qualification [round]. That was tough. [Nicola] is in Japan right now, they're playing exhibition games against their team to prepare them for the Olympics," Eisenschmid proudly declared. "They've had some pretty cool experiences with women's hockey as well."
The eldest of the bunch, Michael, plays ball hockey himself, and has even participated in the World Championships for the sport.
It should come as no surprise, then, that members of the Eisenschmid clan discuss the game of hockey rather often.
"We talk a lot about hockey. My younger sister plays at home in Germany with her team. When we talk, she talks about her game," relayed the 6-foot, 178-pound forward. "The other day, she had an overtime winner. Just some good things she does.
"My dad tells me stuff about her game and what she's doing. My older sister played four years in college, and now is in grad school, so she can't play college anymore. But she plays on a different team just to stay in shape, get games in. She also plays on the national team. In general, we're supporting each other, we talk about hockey," continued
