Islanders’ first-rounder Cole Eiserman living up to expectations at BU

It’s only halfway through his first college season, but already Cole Eiserman looks on his way to being the player the Islanders envisioned upon drafting him 20th overall last summer.

Eiserman was one of the more polarizing prospects in the draft — a born scorer with questions about the rest of his game — and the Islanders took a leap in spending their first first-round pick since 2019 on him. It was a vote of confidence in both Eiserman’s sheer ability and Boston University coach Jay Pandolfo, a Lou Lamoriello acolyte. But mostly the former.

For a good endorsement, look no further than Macklin Celebrini, Eiserman’s roommate at Shattuck St. Mary’s Prep and one of his closest friends.

“He’s an unbelievable goal scorer,” Celebrini said last week. “I had a lot of fun playing with him ’cause I knew if I got him the puck, he’d score.”

That has kept up at BU. Through his first 18 college games, Eiserman has 19 points, including a hat trick last weekend against Vermont.

He also averaged a point per game with Team USA while winning gold at World Juniors, embracing a role as the 13th forward during the knockout round.

“I think my mindset never changes with the goal scoring,” Eiserman told The Post over the phone Wednesday. “I think it’s always on my mind. I always want to do it every shift I’m out there. For me in the college game, as you go up in levels, your opportunity to score every game is limited. For me, it’s being as sharp as I can mentally.

“I prepare every single week to be ready for my shot. I know my shot is ready for the game, but it’s mentally being ready to put it in the back of the net when you get the opportunity. It comes every once in a while and in some games, it doesn’t happen as much as you want. When that one time happens, you better be ready to put it in the net.”

Eiserman spoke at the draft about wanting to add more physicality to his game, and that’s been part of the adjustment to college.

His shot is among the best of any prospect drafted last summer, but at 6-foot, 200 pounds, the 18-year-old Eiserman could round out his game more.

“I think a lot of it is battles in front of the net,” he said. “Not letting defenders push you around, separating guys from pucks in the corners, getting a bump whenever you have a chance. That split, separation, really matters, especially when guys are so strong and fast now.”

Despite the production, Eiserman is still adjusting to the college level. With an August birthday, he’s one of the youngest prospects in his class, and likely has at least another year at BU — if not two — before signing his entry-level deal with the Islanders.

Eiserman said he’s heard on occasion from the team’s player development coaches, but the Islanders have largely let him be. The Terriers, 11-7-1 entering a weekend home-and-home against New Hampshire, are in the thick of the fight for a Hockey East title and, as of now, are looking good for an NCAA Tournament berth.

For Eiserman, who spent the last two years in the National Team Development Program, where the games are almost all exhibitions, there’s some adjustment in being in a league where every game is competitive.

“Every team wants to win, all those points matter in every game,” he said. “You get the older guys, the one thing they want to do is just win, win, win. So it makes every single game really hard. You can never go into any game comfortable.”