NY Islanders top pick a standout on Day 1 of the World Junior Summer Showcase

The annual World Junior Summer Showcase is a step toward the 2025 IIF World Junior Hockey Championship, which is scheduled from Dec. 26, 2024, through Jan. 5, 2025, in Ottawa. The New York Islanders are expected to have multiple prospects participating in the international tournament, and one of the players expected to be a standout for Team USA is Cole Eiserman, the team's 2024 first-round selection (20th overall).

We're still months away from that event, but the Summer Showcase, held in Plymouth Michigan is a chance for some of the game's top prospects to compete against each other before each of their season's gets underway and turns into high gear. The annual event runs from Jul. 26 to Aug. 3 this year and acts as an evaluation for players looking for a chance to represent their respective national teams at the World Juniors.

Steven Ellis of The Daily Faceoff took in the action on Day 1 and shared some thoughts on some of the players that stood out the most, and Eiserman was one of the players he was most excited about.

"Good news: he still hits everything that moves. Eiserman is one of my favorite prospects and shouldn’t have fallen as far as he did. Today, he played just about everything, from the power play, penalty kill and even some key defensive zone matchups. I also have to imagine he was near the leaders in hits per game."

Eiserman set scoring records before being drafted by the Islanders, who were surprised if not shocked to see him still available at No. 20. Eiserman ranks first in United States National Team Development Program (NTDP) history with 127 goals and 52 power-play goals in 119 games.

As he starts his collegiate career with Boston University, he will be aiming to round out his game and become more of a 200-foot hockey player. Seeing that he was on the penalty kill, was given some defensive zone responsibility and hitting is an early, but good sign that he is honing in those development areas to compliment his elite scoring production.