Montreal Canadiens prospect will be returning to the University of Wisconsin for the 2020-21 season. Early reports in September involved rumours that the Rögle BK of the SHL had interest in signing the forward.
One of the Montreal Canadiens top prospects, Cole Caufield will no longer have to look far to see where he will play this season. Following rumours that the forward may play overseas in the SHL, it has now been confirmed that this will not be the case.
Marc Antoine reporting Cole Caufield is returning to Wisconsin. https://t.co/OtwPz6Epwc
— Arpon Basu (@ArponBasu) September 29, 2020
The Swedish Hockey League club initially had interest in Edmonton Oilers prospect Raphaël Lavoie but the 19-year-old was cut by the team. As a result, the team turned their attention towards Cole Caufield. The prospect of the Montreal Canadiens prospect playing overseas was a realistic one as there were talks that the NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey may not be able to play a full season due an outbreak of the novel coronavirus on campus. However, it now appears that this is not the case. Earlier last week, Wisconsin Badgers head coach Tony Granato said that he believes the team thinks it will be able to complete a full schedule starting in November. Granato was hoping Cole Caufield would be there when the season began. In the 2019-20 season, Cole Caufield recorded 36 points (19 goals, 17 points) in in 36 games played. Now in his second second since being drafted by the Montreal Canadiens 15th overall in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, Caufield will have the opportunity to further elevate his game an NHL level. Caufield ranks high on the Montreal Canadiens organizational depth chart and possesses strong goal-scoring abilities. While questions remain as to whether his ability to succeed in the NHL may be hampered by his smaller size, the 5’7 Caufield has ample time to further improve on his strong numbers and withstanding physical play.
A likely course of action to take would be to allow him to take time in his development and eventually signing with the Montreal Canadiens to play under Joel Bouchard for the Laval and eventually earning a spot on the Montreal Canadiens roster.