Cole Caufield

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

Caufield holds the USA Hockey National Team Development Program's all-time record for goals. Caufield played for the University of Wisconsin-Madison before signing with Montreal in late March 2021.

Caufield was the recipient of the 2021 Hobey Baker Award, given to the top National Collegiate Athletic Association men's ice hockey player.

Amateur

For the 2017–18 season, Caufield joined the USA Hockey National Team Development Program (NTDP) in Plymouth, Michigan. He led the NTDP with 54 goals in combined stats of both U-17 & U-18 play, falling just shy of Auston Matthews' 55 goals from 2014–15.

During the 2018–19 season, Caufield played full-time on the NTDP U-18 roster. On March 15, 2019, in a 12–4 win against the Green Bay Gamblers, he scored a career-high six goals. This game also marked Caufield's 105th career goal overtaking Phil Kessel's previous record set from 2003–05 (104 goals). On April 13, 2019, he scored his 56th goal of the season in an exhibition game against Switzerland surpassing a single season record for goals. Caufield finished the season with 72 goals, having career averaged 1.46 points per game.

On November 19, 2017, he committed to play collegiate hockey in the NCAA for the University of Wisconsin–Madison beginning in the 2019–20 season. Caufield was considered a top prospect among North American skaters entering his draft year, and would earn an A rating by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau. On June 21, 2019, he was drafted 15th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. He had been projected by some scouting organizations and commentators to go in the top ten, but his being taken later than that was widely attributed to reservations about his height. This came to be regarded by many as a draft steal for the Canadiens.

Professional

Following his sophomore year at UW-Madison, Caufield signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Montreal Canadiens on March 28, 2021. He made his NHL debut on April 26, 2021, in a 2–1 victory over the Calgary Flames. On May 1, Caufield scored his first NHL goal, in a 3–2 overtime win over the Ottawa Senators.On May 3, Caufield became only the third player in NHL history to score his first two career goals in overtime, helping Montreal defeat Toronto 3–2. He concluded the regular season with four goals and an assist, before participating in Montreal's deep run to the 2021 Stanley Cup Finals. On June 14th, he scored his first NHL playoffs goal, in a 4–1 loss against the Vegas Golden Knights. He ended the playoffs with four goals and eight assists, and was widely identified as one of the team's most promising talents, alongside, a total of 5 pts in 5 linemate Nick Suzuki. On November 1st, 2021 Caufield was sent down to the American Hockey League (AHL) for his poor play in the start of the season (2021–22), only having 1 point in 10 games played. In the AHL he played for the Laval Rocket, Montreal Canadiens' affiliate team. After scoring 2 goals and having 3 assists, having a total of 5 points in 6 Games played, he was recalled by the Montreal Canadiens on November 18th, 2021 and right after the news, he was sent to play against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Centre Bell.

Caufield represents the United States national team. During the 2017–18 season, he participated in several international tournaments under the age of 17, including the 2017 World U-17 Hockey Challenge, where he tallied 13 points in six games (eight goals, five assists) to win a gold medal. He would also be named to the tournament All-star team, and led the competition in goals. At the 2017 Four Nations Cup in Veliky Novgorod, Russia, Caufield appeared in three games, notching six goals and one assist, while the NTDP U-17 finished first. In February 2018, he led the team with 10 points in four games (four goals, six assists) at the 2018 Five Nations Cup in Järvenpää, Finland, enroute to another NTDP U-17 first place finish.

At the 2018 IIHF World U-18 Championship, the NTDP would settle for a silver medal after losing the final game to Finland 3–2. Caufield closed the tournament with six points in seven games.

For the 2018–19 season, Caufield would continue his stellar play internationally. In late 2018, the NTDP U-18 claimed the 2018 Five Nations Cup in Kravaře, Czech Republic, with Caufield notching seven goals and two assists in four games. The NTDP U-18 finished third in the tables of the 2019 Five Nations Cup in Sochi, Russia, where Caufield registered three goals and two assists in four games.

On April 23, 2019, Caufield scored his 10th and 11th goal for the NTDP in just four games of preliminary round at the 2019 IIHF World U18 Championship, breaking a record set by both Brett Sterling in 2002 and Phil Kessel in 2005 (nine goals). On April 27, 2019, Caufield tied Alexander Ovechkin's single tournament goals record (14 goals from 2002) and inscribed his 18 career goals in the national record book of the tournament. The NTDP would eventually lose their semi-final matchup to Russia 3–2 in a shootout, with the NTDP claiming a bronze medal in a 5–2 win over Canada to close their tournament play. Caufield was named the MVP of the championship, as well as Best Forward (Directorate Award). Finally, he led the competition in goals and was named to the tournament All-star team.

Cole Caufield is a native of Mosinee, Wisconsin. His older brother, Brock, also plays for the Wisconsin Badgers men's ice hockey team. Their father, Paul Caufield, 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. 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. 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. He died on July 13, 2018.

Regular season and playoffs

International

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

USA Hockey National Team Development Program:

• Most goals, career: 126 (2017–19)
  • Most goals, IIHF World U18 Championships: 18 (2018, 2019)
• Most goals, regular season: 72 (2018–19)
  • Most goals, single tournament: 14 (at the 2019 IIHF World U18 Championship)
• Most points by a Montreal Canadiens Rookie in overtime in a playoff year: 3 (2021)