As part of the build-up to the first-round playoff series between the Capitals and the Canadiens, we will be looking at some of Montreal’s most important players to know…
Cole Caufield
#13 | RW
Height: 5’8” | Weight: 175
Born: January 2, 2001
Birthplace: Mosinee, WI
Acquired: Drafted by Montreal in the first round (15th pick) in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft
Scouting Report:
A game-breaking goal scorer that, despite his diminutive frame, thrives under pressure and is difficult to contain. Defensively, he’s uncomfortable having the puck in his own end for long and he’ll make the extra effort to pressure around the blue line and take away cross-ice options. Upon procuring puck possession, he’ll be the first to explode up ice in-transition. The hallmark of his game is his exceptional goal-scoring ability. He has a shot that absolutely leaps off his stick with pinpoint accuracy when he lets loose and a low centre of gravity that facilitates fast and flashy puckhandling at pace.
He affords his linemates options by taking advantage of any allotted attention he garners, generating time and space by drawing guys in; he’s perpetually hard to play against. All-in-all, Cole Caufield is an electrifying goal-scoring machine who makes some of the most otherworldly plays look like child’s play.
Elite Prospects (2019)
Why You Should Know Who He Is: Caufield is the Habs’ leading goal-scorer, with 37 goals on the season to date. He’s the only Montreal player to crack the 30-goal mark this year (although there’s still time for Nick Suzuki to do so before the season ends); in fact, he’s just the fifth Canadien to score at least 30 goals in a season over the last decade. Like most goal-scorers, Caufield has a tendency to be streaky, going cold for a handful of games before rattling off goals in four or five straight. He’s small, but mighty, and very hard to contain.
How the Caps Can Stop Him: Caufield is a slippery player with a tendency to crash the net and cause chaos; per NHL Edge, 22 of his 37 goals have been scored directly in front of or right around the net, with the rest of them coming from no higher than the top of the faceoff circles. The Caps have a ton of big bodies in their lineup, and they’ll need to use that height and muscle to push Caufield out. Put physical pressure on him and take away any time or space he creates for himself.