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Looking Ahead: Cole Caufield

September 2, 2019, 7:34 AM ET [377 Comments]
Karine Hains
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
The Canadiens' first pick from last draft has now started his University career and this weekend, his Wisconsin Badgers were north of the border to take on the University of British Columbia in 2 exhibition games. The results were pretty good, both for the team and for Caufield. The first match ended 3-0 for the Badgers while yesterday's one ended 7-5 for them as well. But how did the newly minted number 8 do? Well, let's just say that those who said that he was just riding on Jack Hughes' coattails with the USA Development program might want to think again.

His first goal as a Badger came on a kneeled one-timer that was reminiscent of so many Mike Cammalleri goals and was a delight to see for fans. While it's always fun to see pretty goals made with quick hands, it's also reassuring to see a guy who steps up in space and makes no mistake:



He ended his first game with a goal on 3 shots and 2 penalty minutes. That however was just a preview of what Caufield could offer. Yesterday's match-up was a much more offense oriented affair and he got right in the middle of it. Overall, he landed 7 shots on net, 3 of which ended up behind the goaltender while also recording an assist for a total of 4 points. Once more he received a 2 minutes penalty and while he finished his first game with a +/- of 0, this second outing finished with a -1 record. No need to worry though, 3 of the Badgers' goals he was on the ice for were scored on the power play, meaning he was on the ice for 2 of BC's goals.







Over the course of those 2 games, it's safe to say that Caufield did deliver the goods but it's a very small sample and one shouldn't get over excited. Exhibition university level games are hardly NHL caliber games but still, it's nice to see that he can dominate amongst his peers. The Badgers' regular season starts on October 11th and includes 34 games before the playoffs start in March. While Caufield has just started his stay in Wisconsin, it's great to see that the Badgers' head coach, former NHL player Tony Granato, already has some pretty high praise for his young protégé. He was quoted on the Canadiens' website as saying that Caufield's understanding of the game is already NHL level.

The Canadiens could certainly use a goal scoring machine like Caufield but its worth being patient with him and letting him develop before throwing him in at the deep end. He has already said that he wants to play in the NHL as soon as possible but it's unclear what that will mean exactly for his career path. Will he go the Poehling way and complete his university stay or will he just get some seasoning before making the jump? In Wisconsin, he will get to play alongside older brother Brock and former US National Development Team teammate Alex Turcotte. Seems to me he will be rather well surrounded. Time will tell how long he will stay there but in the meantime, I have a feeling that Canadiens' fans will enjoy watching him evolve even if it is only from afar.
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