Eiserman Reacts to Turning Pro, Signing ELC with Islanders

It’s been a whirlwind week for Cole Eiserman, who is settling into Bridgeport for his first taste of professional hockey after signing a three-year, entry-level contract with the New York Islanders on Wednesday.

“Signing an NHL contract is something I wanted to do my whole life,” Eiserman said. “To have my family there with me and go through that decision was awesome. And once it was signed, I had a big sigh of relief and just know that I have a new chapter now.”

Eiserman said he had “two really good spots to be in” as he made the decision to either play his junior year at BU or turn pro, but ultimately he thought the timing was right to make the jump.

“It was a pretty crazy couple days after the season, just kind of trying to figure out what I was going to do,” Eiserman said. “I’m super grateful for my time at BU. I thought that it would be a good time for me to turn pro and start a new chapter.”

The 20^th-overall pick of the 2024 NHL Draft made his pro debut on Saturday in a 4-3 shootout win over the visiting Hershey Bears. His college friends and family made the two-and-a-half-hour drive to see him lace up in his first-ever pro game, where he recorded a shot on goal and skated on a line with Matthew Highmore and Matt Luff.

From a small sample size of two games, Eiserman noted a few key differences between hockey at the NCAA level vs the American Hockey League.

“It's a different game. Nobody wants to make a mistake, you have to do everything right out there,” Eiserman said. “It's just so much more technical. The guys are just a lot bigger and stronger. You really have to be skating at all times, you can't take a second off. Shift by shift, I’ve been getting more comfortable. The guys have been helping a lot, which has been great, so hoping to build as time goes on.”

The forward had a lot of familiarity with Islanders locker room culture before he arrived in Bridgeport. He has been in the organization for nearly two years and attended Islanders Development Camp last summer, where he bonded with other players in the organization and worked on his skills under Bridgeport Head Coach Rocky Thompson. Now that he’s able to play with a lot of these guys – Matt Maggio, Isaiah George, Marshall Warren – in real game situations, coached by Thompson, he felt that it was a seamless transition.

“I know a lot of guys from just development camp, and obviously the coaching staff and stuff from there too,” Eiserman said. “All the guys have been great, so it's been pretty easy transition just from the locker room perspective.”

In his first two games, Eiserman has played on the power play andin four-on-four situations, but he’s excited to dive right into sharpening his special teams skills at the pro level.

“I have a new opportunity to prove myself at this level, especially with my shot and on the power play,” Eiserman said. “Obviously [I] have a lot of a lot of work to do, I haven’t done much at this level yet. The past is the past, and this is the present. I just have to be in that mindset to prove myself.”

Eiserman is coming off a strong two seasons with 57 points (38G, 19A) in 64 games over two seasons at BU. He led NCAA freshman with 25 goals in 2024-25 and finished second on BU with 28 points (18G, 10A) in 32 games in his sophomore season. His 18 goals were tops on the Terriers.

From an emotional standpoint, it wasn’t easy to part ways with BU and all the memories he made as a Terrier through his two seasons.

Eiserman said he’ll miss the simple, small things – like hanging out in the dorms or going out to eat – but he’s grateful for an incredible two years that led him to turning pro.

“I wouldn't change it for the world,” Eiserman said of his time at BU. “The coaches were great to me and made some of my best friends for life. They were very supportive. Learned a lot on the ice, off the ice, learned how to be a player and a person.”

Eiserman will miss his roommate and fellow Islanders prospect Kamil Bednarik, who was drafted in the second round of the 2024 NHL Draft. They were friends coming into BU and spent the past two seasons living together and playing together, teaming up on many goals.

“I’m definitely going miss him,” Eiserman said. “Been around him for the last four years, so it’s obviously hard, just because of how close we were. His little antics are going to be missed, but I'm sure we'll keep in touch, and I'll be watching them for sure.”

Eiserman has been in highly competitive, big games before – including two World Juniors  where he took home the gold for Team USA in 2024 – which can translate to helping Bridgeport in important games during the playoff push.

Bridgeport ranks fifth in the Atlantic Division with 60 points and a record of 26-27-3-5 (W-L-OTL-SOL) with 11 games remaining in the regular season. They picked up a win on Saturday as Eiserman debuted and another victory in a 5-1 decision over the Bears on the road.

“This weekend was huge for us, and the games down the stretch are even bigger,” Eiserman said. “It feels like playing playoff games in the regular season. Being part of a few practices, I’m just trying to get playoff ready and ready for these games. Every game matters now and it's the most exciting part of the year, and I'm excited to be a part of that group. Everyone in the in the room has a lot of pride in it, and they all are super excited for this opportunity as well.”

The potential playoff experience for Eiserman will be invaluable as his sights are set on making the NHL roster after Islanders Training Camp this fall. With his entry-level contract inked, Eiserman has an exciting rest of the season and offseason to get ready for that chance.

“Part of the reason I was so excited to sign was to come here, ramp up my game, get some seasoning in pro,” Eiserman said. “I'm super grateful for the two games I've had already, and I’m looking forward to the games in the future. I hope we play as long as we can, and going in the summer, I'll know what I have to work on, plus getting bigger, stronger and faster.”

“I have a chance to go to training camp, prove myself, obviously, no matter what happens, happens, and just going to try to put, you know, my best foot forward and do the best I can,” Eiserman added.