Cole Caufield, A player with a talent

QMI

Last year's Cole Caufield was good. Very good, even, good enough to finish as the top scorer in the NCAA Big Ten Conference. But that version of Caufield no longer exists at all. It was, after all, flawed and miles away from the one we can admire today.

The "Caufield 2.0" is the one that could soon make its debut with the Montreal Canadiens and it has a lot to offer. This latest version was discussed by five coaches from the Wisconsin Badgers' rival teams who spoke to TVASports.ca over the past few days.

The metamorphosis began in the summer of 2020 when Caufield saw friend after friend sign their National Hockey League (NHL) entry-level contracts. K'Andre Miller, Alex Turcotte and Trevor Zegras were all calling it quits on their college careers.

The CH's crown jewel, however, was not getting that vote of confidence. Marc Bergevin felt he wasn't ready. That he needed to go back to the drawing board and polish his game without the puck. Imagine how the pride of such a competitor was whipped...

Caufield and Badgers head coach Tony Granato were now fully committed to a mission: to prepare the player who would make an immediate impact with the Tricolore.

It is now safe to say that the operation was a great success. The instructors consulted all agreed that Caufield is not the same player as last year.

University of Michigan head coach Mel Pearson was one of the first to fear the worst when he began hearing, left and right, from players training with Caufield at Plymouth.

"I kept getting reports from our guys about how Cole was taking his game to a whole new level and was really committed to getting stronger, faster. He was fast enough as it was!" exclaims the field hockey man, who tried to recruit Caufield to his program at the time.

Caufield was often seen as a player whose usefulness was limited to filling the opposing net. Like a specialist. A player with a gift that he had to use to justify his importance to the team.

"The biggest difference is in his overall play this year," notes Pearson. He's always been a prolific scorer, but he's gotten so much better defensively. He's much more involved in all aspects of the game. He's not just an offensive player anymore. That's the most striking change regarding his maturation."

"He has become more responsible," corroborates University of Notre Dame head coach Jeff Jackson. He was always a player who brought a high level of energy, with great hands and a high level of skill. But he's better without the puck now. Working with Tony, he's tamed the ways of playing without the disc, which allows him to have the puck on his stick more often because he has to spend less time defending."

"Because of his skating stroke and good use of his stick, he's more effective when applying pressure on the carrier, whether it's when covering a man on the point or on plays along the rail with a defenseman coming down [in the opposing zone]," he observes.

Caufield's shot is no longer a secret. Yet the forward has found ways to put it to more use this year.

"A lot of players hope to score by shooting on goal, whereas Cole comes in and shoots on goal expecting to hit the target," Pearson illustrates. There's a difference between wanting to score and expecting to score. That's the gift he has."

"He's one of the most phenomenal mavericks I've seen in a long time," says University of Minnesota's Bob Motzko. He's got 28 goals right now, but I bet he's hit 15 posts. If it's not a goal, it hits the crossbar hard. His ability to put the puck exactly where he wants it is mind-boggling. I've been watching his development closely - he was a threat last year and this year he's just dangerous."

Caufield would not be able to use this weapon as well if he did not have another rare talent, a trait found in elite players: magnetism. The puck loves Caufield. It follows him around.

"The puck finds him," says Pearson. It's a weird thing. You don't care about him and the next thing you know, he has the puck. I remember a sequence this year. During a zone exit, one of our defensemen sends the puck into the skates of an opposing player and it immediately deflects to Caufield, who gets a good scoring chance."

"He's a master at being overlooked in the offensive zone and it's crazy because we know what a threat he is. But he still, despite everything, finds a way to escape the opponent's watch," marveled Kris Mayotte, a Pearson assistant with the University of Michigan who also led Caufield on the U.S. team's coaching staff at the last World Junior Championship.

Jackson notes that Caufield used those famous special powers in the Badgers' overtime game against Penn State last Monday.

"He came off the bench and had the ability to see that the game was going to be broken up at the blue line. His defenseman served him a great pass, but it takes instincts. It's not like he was skulking around the other blue line just for fun. He saw the play developing and he waited and made sure he wasn't offside."

A sequence that also speaks to how effective he is when it counts.

"He was a great player last year, but if this game can be used as evidence, he can certainly add clutch [decisive] to his resume," concedes Penn State head coach Guy Gadowsky of the man who shut down his team.

That player who can be trusted to score a late game goal in critical situations is something the CH could really use on some nights.

Last Monday, Kyle Connor foiled Carey Price twice with breathtaking shots. Shots that no player in the current edition of the Habs would have been capable of.

It was on that same night that the "Kyle Connor of the CH" made the difference with the tying and winning goals against Penn State to send the Badgers to the Big10 finals.

For Pearson, the comparison to Connor is natural. Pearson himself developed the Winnipeg Jets forward in the NCAA. And in the last two years, he's had to find ways to slow down Caufield.

I've managed some good shooters," said Pearson, who has also brought Max Pacioretty and Mike Cammalleri into his program over the years. Cole is different from the others because of his stature, but his speed and stick are really good. He has great field hockey sense. He can be mentioned in the same breath as some of the best I've led at Michigan."

"Gaudreau was a similar player when he played against our team with Boston College. There is a possibility that Caufield could have an immediate impact in the NHL, as he is dynamic at this point. Gaudreau was able to make plays right out of the gate with the Flames and Caufield has similar qualities in my opinion."

Like Jackson, Mayotte believes Caufield's transition to the NHL could be a quick one.

"Yes, because of the progression of his game in both directions of the ice," he says. His coach will be able to trust him even when he's not scoring goals."

Pearson is more cautious: There are no guarantees, you have to respect everything the NHL stands for. But he wouldn't be surprised if Caufield made an immediate impact with the Tricolore.

"It was the same story with Quinn Hughes," he says. I was managing Hughes and I saw stuff every night that blew me away. But the questions were, will he be able to play without the puck, will he be able to handle the physicality? You get all these questions and you start to think, for a minute, they're legitimate... Same thing with Cole, but I wouldn't be surprised at all. He's very talented."

Caufield's small stature shouldn't prevent the American from having a successful career, in his opinion. Long gone are the days when big, rangy defenders could rule the roost by terrorizing the puny ones.

"He may not be big and fat, but the way he plays betrays his size," Pearson maintains. You could rip his heart out, I guess, to measure how big he is. He has a big heart. He plays with heart. Like that kid on the CH, Brendan Gallagher. I'd take Caufield on my team any day."

"His size would be an issue if he wasn't a great skater," Jackson nuanced. His first three steps on the ice are really quick. I don't think his size will be an issue. You have to catch him first if you want to hit him. He's agile and good at avoiding contact. He can play at a high pace and make sure he doesn't get into precarious positions."

When Caufield becomes a full-time player on the Montreal roster, he will force opposing NHL teams to change their preparation when playing the Habs.

A team needs to have a plan when they are about to face Caufield, otherwise the puck could end up in their net quickly.

Bob Motzko recently had some success against Caufield. Even though he managed to score in the Big Ten final, the University of Minnesota was able to muzzle him for most of the game to win 6-4.

"You have to keep an eye on him at all times and slow him down as best you can," says the field hockey man. The best thing you can do is play with a lead. In our wins against the Badgers, we were able to build a lead. In the other games, we were playing catch-up field hockey. You have to frustrate him and we were able to do that for a portion of the final."

According to Gadowsky, playing Caufield at home and away are two separate realities.

"It's a team effort," he summarized. If you have the last change, you can do things differently. When we're at home, our strategic approach is not the same."

"We're not a team that's going to ask a player to follow him around like his shadow," Jackson says. You have to make sure your best defensemen are on the ice and they're alert."

Being alert. This comes up a lot in discussions with stakeholders. Players need to know where Caufield is on the ice at all times.

"Before we played the Badgers recently, we realized their defensemen were only totaling three goals," Pearson noted. The forwards are really becoming the main concern. It doesn't take you long to realize that their bread and butter is Cole Caufield."

"On the power play, no matter where he is, you always have to know where he's positioned," he continues. And that goes for both our forwards and our defensemen. You have to try to get favorable matchups." Recently, we played them at home, so we were sending players who could force Cole and his trio to play more in the defensive zone."

"A big part of your preparation revolves around not letting Cole Caufield beat you. If it's someone else, you should be fine. But Caufield and Dylan Holloway, you have to muzzle them. They're still going to get their chances, they're that good. But you've got to limit their opportunities."