Cole Caufield will make the Montreal Canadiens very impatient
By Omar L
Montreal Canadiens prospect Cole Caufield showed off his scoring talents in the Wisconsin Badger’s first game with two goals both on the powerplay.
It’s been nothing but goals ever since the Montreal Canadiens drafted Cole Caufield 15th overall at the 2019 NHL Draft. Well, that’s not exactly true. Caufield put up record numbers with the US National Development Team scoring 72 goals, and he’s been a natural sniper his whole life, and he’s honoured that reputation every step of the way.
The University of Wisconsin played its first game of the season Friday night against Boston College losing 5-3. It was a messy night on both ends as the Badgers continued to give up goals while Spencer Knight at the other end of the ice boxed them out as much as he could. However, Wisconsin saw the bulk of its production on the powerplay, and that is all thanks to Caufield.
The 18-year-old scored twice on the man advantage.
The first goal tied the game at one while his second made it a one-goal hockey game (4-3) in the second period. Again, the Badgers couldn’t stop the bleeding and allowed a quick goal to start the third. They do deserve a lot of credit, though, as they killed a five-minute major penalty while Owen Lindmark scored a goal shorthanded.
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There are a lot of similarities between the two Caufield goals, aside from them both being on the powerplay. Both were tic-tac-toe plays, which kept BC goaltender Knight moving, but the puck was already in the net before he was squarely in position to make the save.
If you think back to any scouting report on Caufield, they all mention his ability to find open ice. In both goals, he is the sole player on the left side of the ice. Another thing to pay attention to is the way he gets down on his one-timer. It’s not a stationary shot as he uses the momentum from his previous stride to add more speed to the shot.
Perhaps Caufield hasn’t gotten enough credit in College yet. It could also come down to the fact that it was the first game of the season. Seeing himself available in the same spot twice on the powerplay is very reminiscent of Alex Ovechkin. The Great 8 has 661 career NHL goals and counting but still winds up being wide-open along the left wall.
Patience is one of the most important things as far as developing players go. But Cole Caufield is going to make that very difficult for the Montreal Canadiens. He’s a threat at 5v5 and on the powerplay and imagining him playing with Max Domi, or Jesperi Kotkaniemi must send chills down the organization’s spine.
dark. Next. Will the Team Meeting Change Anything?
If Caufield continues to perform at this pace, his goal to join the team at the end of the season may be a possibility. College prospects usually take two years before kicking it up to the NHL. That said, if Caufield and the Montreal Canadiens feel he’s ready, they’ll do what they can to bring him up to the Bell Centre as quickly as possible.