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Cole Caufield
Cole Caufield - 51705958267 (cropped)
Born (2001-01-02)January 2, 2001,
Mosinee, Wisconsin, U.S.
Height
Weight
5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
174 lb (79 kg; 12 st 6 lb)
Position Right wing
Shoots Right
NHL team Montreal Canadiens
NHL Draft 15th overall, 2019
Montreal Canadiens
Playing career 2021–present


Cole Caufield (born January 2, 2001) is an American professional ice hockey right winger currently playing for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted 15th overall by the Canadiens in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft.

Following success with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program (USNTDP), Caufield played for the University of Wisconsin-Madison for the 2019–20 and 2020–21 seasons. At Wisconsin, he won the Hobey Baker Award and was the leading goal and point-scorer for the 2020–21 NCAA season.

Internationally, Caufield has represented the United States in numerous tournaments including winning a gold medal at the U17 WHC, a silver and bronze medal at the 2018 U18 WJC and 2019 U18 WJC respectively, and a gold medal at the 2021 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.

Early life[]

Caufield was born in Mosinee, Wisconsin, to a hockey-playing family.[1] He started skating at the age of two after seeing his older brother, Brock, skate.[2] In addition to ice hockey, Caufield also played baseball and football as a child. His father, Paul, taught him to shoot from the right as he believed that right shots have an easier angle to access a goaltender's glove hand.[3] He played Bantam AAA ice hockey for Team Wisconsin and played for Stevens Point Area Senior High School (SPASH), scoring 75 goals in two seasons for a total of 145 points before joining the USA Hockey National Team Development Program (USNTDP) in Plymouth, Michigan in 2017.[4][5] On November 19, 2017, he made a verbal commitment to play collegiate hockey at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.[6]

In his first year with the USNTDP, Caufield led the combined U-17 and U-18 team with 54 goals and 26 assists, falling short of Auston Matthews' single season record of 55 goals that was set during the 2014–15 season.[7] In the 2018–19 season, he scored 72 goals and 28 assists, overtaking Phil Kessel's all time USNTDP goal record and Matthews' single season goal record.[8]

Leading up to the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, Caufield was considered a top prospect and was ranked eighth by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau amongst North American skaters.[9][10] On June 21, 2019, he was drafted 15th overall in the first round by the Montreal Canadiens.[11] He had been projected to be drafted higher, however, his size was a key contributor to why he was taken later in the draft.[12] During the summer of 2019, he attended the Canadiens' development camp.[13]

Playing career[]

Collegiate[]

Caufield played ice hockey for the Wisconsin Badgers from 2019 to 2021.[14] During his rookie season, he recorded 19 goals and 17 assists in 36 games, leading the Big Ten in goals scored and winning the Big Ten scoring title. Following his rookie campaign, Caufield was selected to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team, First-Team All-Big Ten and was also the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, becoming the second Badger to win the award after Trent Frederic in 2017.[15][16]

After his freshman year, despite the uncertainty of the 2020–21 NCAA ice hockey season because of the COVID-19 pandemic, he opted to not turn professional with the Canadiens and returned for his sophomore season with Wisconsin, saying that "best thing for me was to come back, get another year, get stronger and faster and dominate more and become more of a leader".[17]

During his sophomore season, he led the NCAA with 30 goals and 52 points in 31 games and was the first back-to-back Big Ten scoring champion. Following his outstanding season, he was selected to the NCAA East Regional All-Tournament Team and the Big Ten All-Tournament Team. He was also selected unanimously to First-Team All-Big Ten and as the Big Ten Player of the Year.[14] On April 9, 2021, Caufield was named to the AHCA First-Team All-American and won the 2021 Hobey Baker Award as the top NCAA men's ice hockey player, becoming the second Badger to win the award after Blake Geoffrion in 2010.[18][19]

Professional[]

2020–present[]

On March 27, 2021, Caufield ended his collegiate career, signing a three-year entry level contract with the Montreal Canadiens.[20][21] After the conclusion of his sophomore season, he was first assigned to the Canadiens' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, Laval Rocket.[22] He made his professional debut for the Rocket on April 9, recording two goals and one assist in a 5–3 win against the Toronto Marlies.[23] After playing only two games for Laval, Caufield was recalled to the Canadiens' taxi squad on April 16 and was unable to be assigned to the Canadiens' active roster due to salary cap issues.[24] After injuries to Paul Byron and Jonathan Drouin, on April 26, Caufield, as an emergency recall, made his NHL debut in a 2–1 victory over the Calgary Flames.[25] On May 1, he scored his first NHL goal in a 3–2 overtime win over the Ottawa Senators.[26] Two days later, in a 3–2 overtime win against the Toronto Maple Leafs, he became only the third player in NHL history to score their first two career goals in overtime.[27] He concluded the NHL regular season with four goals and an assist in ten games played.[28]

After being a healthy scratch for the first two games in the first round of the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs, on May 24, Caufield made his NHL playoff debut in a 2–1 loss against the Toronto Maple Leafs.[29] On June 14, he scored his first NHL playoff goal in a 4–1 Stanley Cup semifinal loss against the Vegas Golden Knights.[30][31] On June 24, he scored the go-ahead goal in the Canadiens' series-clinching win over Vegas. In the 2021 Stanley Cup Finals, Caufield recorded three assists en route to a series loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.[32] He ultimately appeared in twenty games with four goals and eight assists in the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs.[33]

Caufield entered the 2021–22 NHL season as a favorite to win the Calder Memorial Trophy.[34][35] However, he struggled midst the Canadiens' poor start, recording a single assist in his first ten games.[36] On November 1, he was sent down to play for the Laval Rocket, where he scored two goals and three assists in six games.[37] The Canadiens recalled him to the roster on November 18.[38]

Both he and the team continued to struggle, and after thirty games played he had only one goal and seven assists. In February, new general manager Kent Hughes sacked coach Dominique Ducharme and replaced him with retired star forward Martin St. Louis. Caufield quickly saw his ice time increase under St. Louis, returning to the team's first line alongside Nick Suzuki and Josh Anderson, and scored six goals in his next seven games, along with four assists.[39][40][41] He was named the team's player of the month for the first time for February.[42] On March 15, Caufield scored two goals in eight seconds in a game against the Arizona Coyotes, the fastest two-goal performance for the Canadiens since Stéphane Richer in 1987.[43] He was named the NHL's Rookie of the Month for March 2022, a period in which he led all rookies in goals (7) and total points (15). He was the first Canadiens player to receive this distinction since Carey Price in March 2008.[44] In the final game of the season, Caufield scored his first career hat-trick in a 10–2 victory over the Florida Panthers. He finished the season with 23 goals, tied for second in rookie goal-scoring behind Tanner Jeannot of the Nashville Predators with 24.[45]

The 2022–23 season was expected to be a development year for the rebuilding Canadiens. With Caufield and Suzuki an established duo on the team's first line, coach St. Louis began experimenting with different players in the other wing position. The early games saw Anderson, Sean Monahan and Mike Hoffman rotate through. The position was next given to Kirby Dach, the former 2019 third overall selection acquired by the Canadiens in the offseason with the initial expectation that he would play centre.[46] The Caufield-Suzuki-Dach line generated strong initial results.[47][48][49]

International play[]

Medal record
Competitor for Flag of the United States United States of America
Ice hockey
World Junior Championships
Gold 2021 Canada
World U-18 Championships
Silver 2018 Russia
Bronze 2019 Sweden
World U-17 Hockey Challenge
Gold 2017 Canada

Caufield has represented the United States internationally. In 2017, Caufield was selected to the World U-17 Hockey Challenge (U17 WHC), where he tallied eight goals and five assists in six games, helping the United States win a gold medal. He led the tournament in goals scored and was named to the U17 WHC All-Star Team.[50] He helped the United States place first at the 2017 Four Nations Cup in Russia, he won gold, appearing in three games with six goals and one assist.[51] At the 2018 IIHF World U-18 Championship, he notched six points in seven games, helping the team win a silver medal.[52]

Caufield would continue his stellar play internationally in the following season. In late 2018, the United States won the 2018 Five Nations Cup in the Czech Republic, as he recorded seven goals and two assists in four games.[53] On April 27, 2019, Caufield tied Alex Ovechkin's single tournament goals record with 14 goals scored at the 2019 IIHF World U18 Championship (U18 WJC), en route to a bronze medal.[54] He was named the Most Valuable Player, Best Forward, and to the U18 WJC All-Star Team for the tournament.[55]

In 2021, Caufield was selected to the IIHF World Junior Championship, recording two goals and three assists in seven games, helping the United States win a gold medal.[56]

Personal life[]

Caufield's older brother, Brock, played for the Wisconsin Badgers men's ice hockey team.[57] Their father, Paul, born in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, played for the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point (UWSP) from 1988–92 and remains the team's all-time leading scorer.[58][59] He returned to UWSP in 2002 to work as an assistant coach, but resigned in 2006 to assume his current position as manager of Ice Hawks Arena.[58][60] Their grandfather, Wayne Caufield, a member of the Wisconsin Hockey Hall of Fame since 2011, played semi-professional hockey from 1963–76 for numerous teams, most notably the USHL's Milwaukee Admirals, and spent over two decades coaching youth hockey and managing hockey clinics in the Milwaukee area following his retirement.[61][62] He died on July 13, 2018.[62]

Career statistics[]

Regular season and playoffs[]

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2015–16 Stevens Point Area High USHS-WI 23 25 33 58 6 2 4 2 6 0
2016–17 Stevens Point Area High HS-WI 22 50 29 79 17 3 3 5 8 2
2017–18 U.S. National Development Team USHL 32 23 10 33 10
2018–19 U.S. National Development Team USHL 28 29 12 41 23
2019–20 University of Wisconsin B1G 36 19 17 36 6
2020–21 University of Wisconsin B1G 31 30 22 52 4
2020–21 Laval Rocket AHL 2 3 1 4 0
2020–21 Montreal Canadiens NHL 10 4 1 5 2 20 4 8 12 0
2021–22 Montreal Canadiens NHL 67 23 20 43 10
2021–22 Laval Rocket AHL 6 2 3 5 0
NHL totals 77 27 21 48 12 20 4 8 12 0

International[]

Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2017 United States U17 Gold medal icon 6 8 5 13 0
2018 United States U18 Silver medal icon 7 4 2 6 0
2019 United States U18 Bronze medal icon 7 14 4 18 4
2020 United States WJC 6th 5 1 1 2 0
2021 United States WJC Gold medal icon 7 2 3 5 2
Junior totals 32 29 15 44 6

Awards and honors[]

Award Year Ref
College
Big Ten Scoring Champion 2020, 2021 [63]
Big Ten Freshman of the Year 2020 [63]
All-Big Ten First Team 2020, 2021 [64]
Big Ten Player of the Year 2021 [64]
Big Ten All-Tournament Team 2021
AHCA West First Team All-American 2021 [65]
Hobey Baker Award 2021
International
IIHF World U18 Championships MVP 2019 [66]
IIHF World U18 Championships Best Forward 2019 [66]
IIHF World U18 Championships All-Star Team 2019 [66]
NHL
Clarence S. Campbell Bowl 2021

Records[]

USA Hockey National Team Development Program:

References[]

  1. Harbit, Bailey (20 November 2018). Mosinee native, former SPASH hockey player Caufield signs with Badgers.
  2. Gordon, Sean (22 June 2019). The ascension of Cole Caufield from teary-eyed toddler to rink rat to prolific scorer.
  3. Basu, Arpon (29 March 2021). The moments that prepared Cole Caufield for the Canadiens spotlight.
  4. Williams, Scott (25 February 2016). Hockey is a part of the Caufield lineage.
  5. Manderfeld, Noah (28 April 2021). Looking back at Cole Caufield's 'crazy' career at SPASH.
  6. Milewski, Todd (20 November 2017). Badgers men's hockey: Five-star prospect Cole Caufield commits to Wisconsin.
  7. Pronman, Corey (29 May 2019). Pronman: Why you shouldn't underestimate prospect Cole Caufield.
  8. Peters, Chris (1 May 2019). The curious case of Cole Caufield: How high will the diminutive scorer be drafted?.
  9. 2019 Draft Prospect Rankings.
  10. Schoen, David (18 June 2019). Size doesn't matter for NHL draft prospect Cole Caufield.
  11. Mercer, Pierre-Antoine (21 June 2019). Canadiens select Cole Caufield 15th overall in 2019 NHL Draft.
  12. Canadiens select Cole Caufield with 15th-overall pick of NHL Draft (21 June 2019).
  13. Cowan, Stu (31 July 2019). Canadiens prospect Cole Caufield scores a beauty for Team USA.
  14. 14.0 14.1 Wisconsin Badgers: Cole Caufield.
  15. Milewski, Todd (18 March 2020). Cole Caufield plans to return for second season with Badgers men's hockey team.
  16. Milewski, Todd (12 May 2020). Badgers' Cole Caufield named Big Ten Freshman of the Year; Wyatt Kalynuk joins him on all-league first team.
  17. Milewski, Todd (13 May 2020). Cole Caufield sets wider goal for second season with Badgers men's hockey team: 'I have a lot more to prove'.
  18. Wisconsin's Cole Caufield wins 2021 Hobey Baker Memorial Award (9 April 2021).
  19. Schlossman, Brad Elliott (10 April 2021). Cole Caufield beats out Shane Pinto for Hobey Baker Award; UND has an NCAA-best three All-American picks.
  20. Three-year, entry-level contract for forward Cole Caufield (27 March 2021).
  21. Cowan, Stu (30 March 2021). Canadiens make Cole Caufield a rich 20 year old.
  22. Cowan, Stu (29 March 2021). Stu Cowan: Canadiens prospect Cole Caufield will join the Laval Rocket.
  23. Cowan, Stu (9 April 2021). Canadiens prospect Cole Caufield has fun in his AHL debut with Rocket.
  24. Cowan, Stu (16 April 2021). Stu Cowan: Canadiens promote Caufield, but debut delayed by cap woes.
  25. Leijon, Erik (26 April 2021). Liveblog replay: Habs beat Flames 2-1 in Caufield's debut.
  26. Canadiens' Cole Caufield scores first NHL goal to beat Senators in OT (2 May 2021).
  27. Caufield scores second overtime winner as Canadiens edge Maple Leafs (3 May 2021).
  28. Cowan, Stu (15 May 2021). Canadiens Notebook: Habs hit the ice for practice to prepare for Maple Leafs.
  29. Basu, Arpon (25 May 2021). The problems plaguing the Canadiens against the Maple Leafs have been all too predictable.
  30. Pickens, Pat (14 June 2021). Caufields go crazy after Canadiens forward scores first playoff goal.
  31. Cowan, Stu. "Canadiens' Cole Caufield scores first playoff goal in loss to Vegas", Montreal Gazette, June 14, 2021. 
  32. Farrell, Sean (25 June 2021). Canadiens defeat Golden Knights in Game 6, advance to Stanley Cup Final.
  33. Manderfeld, Noah (1 November 2021). Montreal Canadiens send Cole Caufield down to the AHL.
  34. Spiegel, Jackie (4 July 2021). Why Canadiens' Cole Caufield can be America's next star.
  35. Gretz, Adam (13 September 2021). NHL Power Rankings: 2021-22 Calder Trophy candidates.
  36. Cowan, Stu. "Tough start to season for Canadiens' Cole Caufield", Montreal Gazette, December 5, 2021. 
  37. Canadiens' Cole Caufield sent down to Laval Rocket, team's AHL affiliate (1 November 2021).
  38. Cowan, Stu (18 November 2021). Canadiens call up Cole Caufield from Laval Rocket.
  39. Ellis, Steven. "Cole Caufield has found his form with Martin St. Louis", The Hockey News, February 22, 2022. 
  40. Cowan, Stu. "Martin St. Louis's culture shift clicking for Canadiens", Montreal Gazette, February 24, 2022. 
  41. D'Amours, Tristan. "Suzuki, Caufield stay hot as Canadiens clobber Sabres for 4th straight win", CBC Sports, February 23, 2022. 
  42. Cole Caufield earns Molson Cup for February (11 March 2022).
  43. Wilde, Brian. "Montreal Canadiens dropped by the Arizona Coyotes 6-3", Global News, March 15, 2022. 
  44. Canadiens' Caufield Named NHL 'Rookie of the Month' for March (April 1, 2022).
  45. "Caufield scores first hat trick, Canadiens end season with rout of Panthers", Sportsnet, April 29, 2022. 
  46. Analyzing which Canadiens winger is the best fit with Caufield and Suzuki. Sportsnet (November 1, 2022). Retrieved on November 10, 2022.
  47. Chemistry of Caufield, Dach, Suzuki line is paying dividends. Montreal Gazette (November 6, 2022). Retrieved on November 6, 2022.
  48. The Canadiens are a Rubik’s Cube that Martin St. Louis has only begun to solve (November 6, 2022). Retrieved on November 6, 2022.
  49. Martin St-Louis Praises Kirby Dach’s Play On Canadiens’ Top Line (November 6, 2022). Retrieved on November 6, 2022.
  50. U.S. National Under-17 Team Wins World U17 Hockey Challenge (12 November 2017).
  51. U17s Defeat Russia, 2-1 in Shootout; Win 2017 Under-17 Four Nations (16 December 2017).
  52. Cole Caufield at eliteprospects.com (en).
  53. U.S. National Under-17 Team Wins 2018 Under-17 Five Nations (18 February 2018).
  54. Morin, Richard (29 April 2019). Meet the Kyler Murray of the NHL Draft: Cole Caufield is a 5-foot-7 scoring phenom.
  55. Kemmeter, John (2 May 2019). Caufield ties goal record, named MVP of World Championship.
  56. Milewski, Todd (6 January 2021). Alex Turcotte, Cole Caufield win gold at World Junior Championship.
  57. "Badgers men's hockey: Five-star prospect Cole Caufield commits to Wisconsin", November 20, 2017. 
  58. 58.0 58.1 Willes, Ed (June 22, 2019). Ed Willes: Size doesn't matter for Cole Caufield, who's out to prove his doubters wrong.
  59. Williams, Scott A. (February 25, 2016). Hockey is a part of the Caufield lineage.
  60. Bates, Greg (August 2018). "Family Values: A Passion For The Game Runs Through The Caufield Bloodlines". USA Hockey Magazine. 
  61. Shoust, Christopher (February 4, 2017). Sault Legends: Wayne Caufield.
  62. 62.0 62.1 Wayne Caufield (July 15, 2018).
  63. 63.0 63.1 Hockey Postseason Honors Announced (May 11, 2020).
  64. 64.0 64.1 Hockey Postseason Honors Announced (March 16, 2021).
  65. "Boston College, Minnesota, North Dakota, Wisconsin lead way with three All-American college hockey players apiece for '20-21 season", April 9, 2021. 
  66. 66.0 66.1 66.2 Caufield named MVP. IIHF.
  67. 67.0 67.1 All-Time NTDP Record Book. USA Hockey.
  68. 68.0 68.1 U18MWC Record Book. Team USA Hockey.
  69. Un record de la LNH pour Cole Caufield (French). TVA Sports (July 6, 2021).

External links[]

Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Jesperi Kotkaniemi
Montreal Canadiens first round draft pick
2019
Succeeded by
Kaiden Guhle
Preceded by
Sammy Walker
Big Ten Freshman of the Year
2019–20
Succeeded by
Thomas Bordeleau
Preceded by
Taro Hirose
Big Ten Scoring Champion
2019–20, 2020–21
Succeeded by
Matty Beniers
Preceded by
Cole Hults
Big Ten Player of the Year
2020–21
Succeeded by
Ben Meyers
Preceded by
Jack Dugan
NCAA Ice Hockey Scoring Champion
2020–21
Succeeded by
Bobby Brink
Preceded by
Scott Perunovich
Hobey Baker Award
2020–21
Succeeded by
Dryden McKay
This page uses content from Wikipedia. The original article was at Cole Caufield. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Ice Hockey Wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License 3.0 (Unported) (CC-BY-SA).


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