Why Cole Caufield is automatically a top prospect for the Montreal Canadiens
By Omar L
Many thought Debrincat was only good because he played with Connor McDavid in his first year. However, he continued to produce even though 97 took his talents to the NHL. Some have made the same argument for Caufield who played with Jack Hughes this season, but that’s not the case.
Hughes missed a month of playing time in December (seven games), and Caufield scored seven goals and three assists. The 2019 first-overall pick missed another month from January 15th to February 15th (seven games) and Caufield put up five goals and four assists. The two play together, but Caufield’s offence isn’t reliant on Hughes.
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On the power play, Caufield sets up along the left circle and waits to get the one-timer feed. His goals from that spot aren’t always sent to the side of the net but up into the corner making it extremely difficult for a goaltender to stop. It doesn’t even matter if he is below the goal line, he’ll still try to shoot and score.
The 18-year-old tends to do things on his own as a finisher, but he is also aware of how others perceive him. When the shot isn’t there, Caufield will instead draw others towards him freeing his linemates up for a play, or a quick feed allowing himself to get free for a final pass in those high-danger areas.
His puckhandling comes into play here. Caufield’s hands allow him to make those small dekes to get past defenders. Again, Caufield knows what others think of him. He knows they’re expecting him to make a play for the net so he’ll deke around them and find a teammate keeping the opposing team guessing at all times.