Cole Caufield
Not only is Cole Caufield one of the highest potential players in the Canadiens system, but he is one of the league’s most exciting young goal scorers. Drafted in the first round of the 2019 NHL Draft, Caufield dominated at the USNTDP, before making the jump to the NCAA with his home state University of Wisconsin Badgers. He posted back-to-back point-per-game seasons, along with a Hobey Baker award and a plethora of other NCAA individual awards.
He made the jump to the professional ranks with the American Hockey League’s Laval Rocket at the end of his sophomore season with the Badgers. Caufield didn’t waste much time showing everybody that he was well-prepared for the pro game; as he notched four points (two goals and three assists) through six games with the Canadiens affiliate. He was then promoted to the Habs, and he played 10 games before the Stanley Cup playoffs started, and he scored half a point per game (four goals and one assist).
The diminutive winger formed a great duo with Nick Suzuki, and the pair were dynamite for the Canadiens during their run to the Stanley Cup final. Through 20 playoff games, Caufield posted 12 points (four goals and eight assists) flashing his explosive speed, soft hands and elite shot. While the Bell Centre was empty because of the COVID-19 clutches, the crowd outside the arena was ready to explode each and every time Caufield touched the puck.
He struggled to get back to his goalscoring ways during the following season, but once Dominique Ducharme was fired, a new coach breathed life into Caufield. Martin St. Louis gave Caufield free rein, and he ran with it, flying down the ice and providing the Habs with a constant scoring threat. The higher the pressure, the better; as Caufield elevated his play, and provide the Habs’ brass with some exhilarating overtime goals and last-minute game-tying tallies.
In 2022-23 Caufield was on pace to become the first Canadiens player to score 40 goals, since Vincent Damphousse during the ’93-’94 season. Unfortunately for the Canadiens and Caufield, a season-ending shoulder injury cut his campaign short; as he required surgery to repair it. The sample size hasn’t been huge, but all signs point to Caufield rekindling his chemistry with Suzuki and bringing the Habs’ faithful back to their feet in 2023-24 like only he can.