3 NY Islanders prospects facing crucial seasons

The NY Islanders prospects are developing at different rates. Some are ready to contribute in the NHL after just one season, while others have been around longer and still aren’t ready to make the jump.

Here are three Islanders prospects facing crucial seasons in 2026-27

Cole Eiserman

Since the Islanders selected Cole Eiserman 20th overall in 2024, we’ve seen the good and the bad from the sniper while at Boston University. There’s no questioning Eiserman’s goal-scoring capability, leading the Terriers in goals during his only two seasons of NCAA hockey. But how will those goals translate to the pro level, and how can he contribute when the goals aren’t coming?

Eiserman jumped to the AHL at the end of the NCAA season, playing 12 games for the Bridgeport Islanders. Though he scored just twice, Eiserman added seven assists in 12 games, nearly matching his assist mark in 32 games at BU (10). If he's creating when the goals aren't coming as easily, that certainly brings another element to his game.

The Islanders need a goal scorer, and Eiserman could become that player. If he catches fire early on during the AHL season, he could earn his first NHL call-up.

Jesse Pulkkinen

The Islanders drafted Pulkkinen in the second round of the 2024 NHL Draft, taking the defenseman 54th overall after going undrafted in 2023.

After making the transition from Europe to North America last season, Pulkkinen bounced between the AHL and ECHL. In 20 games in Bridgeport, he totaled just two assists, but while with the Worcester Raiders of the ECHL, Pulkkinen scored nine times and added nine assists in 36 games.

Pulkkinen’s numbers don’t pop off the screen, but his physical attributes do. At 6’6” and 220 lbs, Pulkkinen is a physical specimen. Expected to start the season with the Hamilton Hammers, he has a full season of North American hockey under his belt - a big transition from the European game. In a prospect pool loaded with LHD, Pulkkinen’s size and offense can separate him from the pack if he can remain consistent throughout the season. 

Josh Kotai

The top NCAA free agent goalie this season, Josh Kotai, committed himself to the Islanders after three seasons at Augustana University.

Cutting ties this summer with Marcus Hogberg and Tristan Lennox, it appears that Kotai and Henrik Tikkanen will be splitting time between the pipes for Hamilton this season.

Kotai played just one game with Bridgeport last season, but he’ll have every opportunity to take the reins and run. 

A lot of Kotai’s opportunity could depend on what happens with the goaltending situation in the NHL. If Semyon Varlamov struggles with his health, Vitek Vanecek will be called upon to be Ilya Sorokin’s backup. And if that’s the case, Kotai could be one injury away from getting a call-up to the Islanders and making his NHL debut.

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