A Tale of Two Prospects: Cole Eiserman vs. Carter Yakemchuk

Both players have incredible puck skills with gaps in the rest of their games, but while Yakemchuk has received praise, Eiserman continues to fall down the rankings.

The 2024 NHL Draft is still four months away, but already, a few prospects have caught the attention of scouts. Macklin Celebrini is a clear choice for first overall and doesn’t look like he’ll have any challengers, but the high-end potential of Artyom Levshunov and Ivan Demidov could close the gap as the season wears on. Add in the likes of Sam Dickinson, Cayden Lindstrom, Artur Silayev, Konsta Helenius, and Zeev Buium, and you have a very interesting top group of prospects and an especially deep group of defensemen.

Among that group, you have Cole Eiserman, a winger with the United States Development Program (UNDP) who has one of the best shots in the draft class, and Carter Yakemchuk, a defenceman who has been one of the highest-scoring defenders in the Western Hockey League (WHL). Both have raised some concerns among scouts due to their inconsistencies away from the puck, but there’s no question that they have high offensive ceilings.

So why are they being treated completely differently?

Eiserman was once ranked second behind Celebrini but has now found himself at the edge of the top 10 and being criticized for his all-around game, which is significantly lacking. Yakemchuk, on the other hand, has risen the rankings, despite also showing consistent defensive lapses and lacking the physicality expected for someone of his size. Central Scouting named him the third-best defenceman in North America, while Bob McKenzie put him just outside his top 10 and ahead of Buium, who was ranked second by Central Scouting.

So, how are two prospects who have remarkably similar descriptions getting completely opposite scouring reports? Is it just because they play different positions, or is there something more to it than meets the eye?