By Eli Cloutier
While Macklin Celebrini garnered most of the headlines surrounding Boston University men’s hockey throughout the two days of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft at the Sphere in Las Vegas, Nev., five other future Terriers were selected on both Friday and Saturday. Including the first overall pick, BU had six players selected, the most of any NCAA program in the draft.
Cole Eiserman | LW | Round 1, Pick 20 | 20th overall | New York Islanders
In need of a game-breaker, Cole Eiserman fell right into the New York Islanders lap at 20th overall. The last Islander to score 40 goals in a season was Anders Lee, who announced the team’s selection of Eiserman in the 2017-18 season, and the hope is for Lee’s newest teammate to provide that high ceiling as a goal scorer.
“[The Islanders] see my goal scoring, they see what I’ve done with it, and they love that,” Eiserman said after he was selected.
And if there’s one thing that Eiserman does better than most, it’s finding the back of the net. The NTDP’s all-time leading goal scorer, with 127, tallied 89 points, scoring 58 goals in 57 games for the U.S. National U18 Team last season.
Other than his goal-scoring ability, Eiserman knows what other parts of his game he wants to bring and improve upon with the Islanders and, in the more immediate future, the Terriers.
“Being reliable defensively, being able to play more than 15 minutes a night, and being able to be in all situations,” he added. “This year at BU is going to be huge for me, and I’m super excited to learn.”
Cole Hutson | LHD | Round 2, Pick 11 | 43rd overall | Washington Capitals
Cole Hutson was the first future Terrier to be selected on the second day of the draft, when the Washington Capitals sent winger Beck Malenstyn to the Buffalo Sabres for the 43rd overall pick.
Yes, he is the younger brother of Lane and Quinn Hutson.
Hutson, a blueliner who turned 18 on June 28, has drawn comparisons to his older brother Lane, but Cole is bigger than Lane was when he was drafted. Cole measured 5-foot-10.5 and 165 pounds at the combine, compared to Lane’s 5-foot-8.25 and 158 lbs.
The most productive defenseman in NTDP history, Hutson racked up 51 points (15 goals, 36 assists) in 51 games last season for the U18s. Expect Cole to fill a similar role as Lane did in his two years as a Terrier.
Hutson said he’s looking to bring the “offensive side” of his game to BU and later the Capitals. “Hopefully I’ll be running a power play there soon,” he added.
Like his brother, Cole will need to prove he can hold up defensively; he’s more physically imposing than Lane, and draft evaluators believe he’s even a better skater than his older brother.
Mikhail Yegorov | G | Round 2, Pick 17 | 49th overall | New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils nabbed what some believe was the best goaltender in the draft in Mikhail Yegorov, trading defenseman John Marino and the Colorado Avalanches’ fifth round pick to the Utah Hockey Club for the pick that turned into Yegorov and the Edmonton Oilers’ 2025 second round pick.
Measuring at 6-foot-4 and 187 pounds at the combine and born in St. Petersburg, Russia, the netminder suited up for the Omaha Lancers of the USHL last season. In 43 games, Yegorov struggled, surrendering 3.86 goals against average with a .892 save percentage.
In Yegorov’s defense, the Lancers finished well at the bottom of the USHL and did their goaltender no favors.
He moves quite well in net for his size, but can struggle making reads. Yegorov won’t arrive in Boston until the 2025-26 season as he continues to develop, but the potential and ceiling is there.
Kamil Bednarik | C | Round 2, Pick 29 | 61st overall | New York Islanders
One future Terrier wasn’t enough for the New York Islanders as they used their second second round pick on Kamil Bednarik, selecting him 61st overall. The Eiserman-Bednarik tandem will continue from NTDP to BU, and if everything goes accordingly, the Islanders.
The 6-foot, 180-pound center tallied 65 points (26 goals, 39 assists) in 61 games for the U18s last season. Bednarik does a bit of everything and models his game after former Boston Bruin Patrice Bergeron.
“I’m a 200-foot player. I think I play really well on both ends of the ice,” Bednarik said of his game. “I think that’s kind of my biggest strength.”
While the Elmhurst, Ill., native isn’t flashy with the puck on his stick, he is quite a balanced, smart player and has the ability to mold his game to best support the players on his line.
“I’m the type of player that is able to play with whoever. I just feel that I have that trait where whoever’s on my line, I feel like I can make the guys around me better,” Bednarik said.
Jack Pridham | RW | Round 3, Pick 27 | 92nd overall | Chicago Blackhawks
The last soon-to-be Terrier selected was Jack Pridham, whom the Chicago Blackhawks took at 92nd overall. The Stouffville, Ont., native spent last season in the BCHL, playing for the West Kelowna Warriors, where he racked up 49 points (23 goals, 26 assists) in 54 games played.
The 6-foot-1, 176-pound winger and the son of the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Assistant General Manager Brandon Pridham possesses elite speed and the ability to pressure opposing players on the forecheck.
When asked to describe his game after being selected, Pridham labeled himself a “skilled forward with a good hockey sense, shot, and skating.” He added that he likes to watch players such as Adrian Kempe and Jack Eichel.
In terms of areas of improvement, Pridham emphasized getting stronger and followed that up with his decision to return to the Warriors before joining BU for the 2025-26 season.
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