Cole Caufield: Beyond the Release
Cole Caufield was drafted a one-dimensional scorer. Is he still that, or is he more?
Cole Caufield: Beyond the Release
#8 RW Cole Caufield
Height: 5'7"
Weight: 165 pounds
Drafted: 15th overall (2019), Montreal Canadiens
Everyone knows how Cole Caufield plays hockey: he gets the puck, he shoots the puck, and the puck tends to go in the net. It’s truly a foolproof method.
We'll get to that in a bit, but a shot on goal takes only a fraction of a second - there's got to be more to his game than that, right? Surely, he's not just standing at the faceoff dot waiting for a pass from the moment the puck is dropped each shift... right?
In Caufield's junior days with the National Development Team Program, that was exactly the case. Hyperbolically speaking, of course - but the list of things on Cole Caufield's mind started and ended with putting the puck in the back of the net. These goal-scoring skills have absolutely transitioned to full-time college hockey for Cole, but he's embraced the opportunity to flesh out his game by adding to his arsenal of offensive weapons, and taking initiative to improve at the defensive side of the game. Caufield's increased versatility makes him a much stronger prospect than he was on draft night roughly 21 months ago. It's this versatility that will allow him to make an impact and remain a threat when he begins his professional career in the coming days for the Laval Rocket.
I've always loved Cole Caufield’s game, so much so that I ranked him fourth going into the 2019 NHL draft behind only Hughes, Kakko, and Bowen Byram. But during his draft year, there were major knocks on Caufield - he wasn't the go-to guy on his team, or even on his line, and resultantly was relegated to being a bit of a passenger. He was the best damn complementary piece Jack Hughes could have asked for, but ultimately he was just that - complementary. Whoever's name got pulled out of the hat and found themselves on Caufield's opposite wing was tasked with much of the dirty work in the offensive zone: winning back lost pucks, forechecking, creating space, etc. One frequent flyer was Owen Lindmark, who's hard-nosed game and speed made him a natural fit with the two record-setting stars. Hughes controlled the play - he was virtually untouchable and could skate around the ice to his own accord making basically whatever play he saw fit - and usually that play was to his most effective triggerman, Cole Caufield. Caufield enabled him to make these plays not by standing still at the faceoff dot as I previously alluded to, but by weaving in and out of traffic, always presenting himself as a scoring option, a skill only compounded by his deep arsenal of shots, lightning quick release, and immense power for a small winger thanks to his exaggerated weight transfer on wrist-shots and slapshots.
Situationally, I like to compare draft-year Cole Caufield’s offense to Klay Thompson on ice skates, with Hughes playing Curry's role as the primary puck/ball-handler. This off-puck element of Caufield's game has not changed, and will not change, ever - nor should it, because it's truly elite. But at Wisconsin, he got fewer opportunities to put it to use because of who was around him. There was no Jack Hughes, not even an Alex Turcotte as of the 2020-21 season - and when there was (during their freshman year), they didn't play together at even strength often. Only six of Caufield's 19 goals were scored off an Alex Turcotte assist, two of which were primary.
Due to the lack of talent surrounding him, Caufield was forced to evolve. Over the 2019-20 season he began to improve as a play-driver, leading to both a historic rookie and sophomore season. This year, with the departure of many key Badgers, the situation surrounding him appeared even bleaker than it did as a freshman. Cole initially saw a revolving door of linemates, and it showed up in the box score - he was held goalless through the first four games of the year. The only notable forward who didn’t see much time at even strength with Caufield was Oilers prospect and fellow Hobey Baker candidate Dylan Holloway. More time with Holloway would obviously have elevated both of their individual numbers, though it’s understandable why the two were kept separate given the team’s lack of offensive depth. After some injuries subsided, Caufield settled in on the wing of Ty Pelton-Byce with Buffalo Sabres prospect Linus Weissbach manning the opposite flank, leading to an increase in both the team’s rank in the standings and in Caufield’s goal-scoring numbers.
So what does a Klay Thompson do without his Steph Curry? He takes on additional responsibility. The biggest evolution Cole Caufield has undergone since earning his reputation as the best goalscorer in his age group with the Development Program has been his transition from off-puck finisher who can make plays when needed, to zone entry machine and primary play-driver in all areas of the offensive zone. His play-driving isn’t without flaws- he’s prone to hanging onto the puck too long, and sometimes skates through high danger areas seemingly because he’s bored and wants to spice things up a bit - but he still comes out of these situations with the puck on his stick a shocking amount of the time thanks to his direction changes, and the ability of his hands to keep up with his brain and vice-versa.
Now rather than relying on others to create chances for him, Caufield is able to create chances for himself and others, as he does here for Roman Ahcan on the powerplay:
And here for Dylan Holloway:
And here for Holloway again, this time at even strength:
And lastly, for Linus Weissbach- this time following a takeaway at the defensive blueline:
The last clip in particular is one I would like to focus on, as it summarizes much of what makes Caufield’s refined game a dominant one. Every stickhandle he makes rushing up the ice on a 2-on-1 is deliberate. The defender is vulnerable, recovering defensively, and Caufield doesn’t allow him to find his gap. He attacks the defender as if it were a 1-on-1 and, as he nears the defender, he draws the puck back into the triple threat position making him a threat to shoot, pass, or deke. Obviously he chose pass in this scenario, but it’s the options he possesses that make that backdoor touch-pass to Weissbach possible.
If there’s one area of consistency in the clips I’ve accumulated, it’s that regardless of how he chooses to attack, Cole understands that the key to successful offense is unpredictability. It’s that sort of deception that has the potential to elevate linemates’ finishing ability, ala Patrick Kane and Nick Suzuki. Caufield knows that his shot is lethal from most any position, and he’s able to use that to his advantage without ever actually taking a shot. Goalies and defenders have to not only respect, but anticipate the shot, and he’s often able to suck them into overcommitting to him and leaving his teammates alone.
In the first clip, Caufield baits a defender into completely over-sliding the puck in a valiant shot-block attempt, leaving a passing lane to Roman Ahcan wide open- a play so sneaky I’m not even sure Ahcan knew the puck was coming until it was already there. The first Holloway clip is similar. Everyone- Drew DeRidder (the Michigan State goaltender), me, you, your pet tarantula, and your grandmother all read shot on that play. Even with the aid of the Hubble Telescope, I’m not sure one could read otherwise- the eyes are geared towards the net, the stick is flexed, and the body is square to the net. It looks just like any other Cole Caufield shot, the only difference being that it isn’t actually a shot. On the third goal we get a slightly different play, though the same principles of deception apply. Caufield attacks the middle of the ice because it's open and a few quick stick-handles tell us he's looking to improve his shooting position while faking out the goalie- and then he just passes. No telegraphing the pass, no look towards Holloway to indicate that's what he might do, no anything - and that's why Holloway's able to get a quality shot off. Neither the goalie nor the defending Spartans were able to read what Caufield was about to do with the puck - or rather, they read incorrectly.
In addition to fleshing out his offensive arsenal, Caufield’s defensive effort level has improved drastically at Wisconsin. In prospects, small stature is often linked with defensive inability. In the case of Cole Caufield, both a lack of size and defensive ability are true. However, one is not inherent to the other, and Caufield could continue to make improvements as he begins his career in the pros. The reality is, many of the best defenders in the NHL are short kings: according to Evolving-Hockey’s model, Carl Hagelin has the highest expected even-strength defense of any forward this season. Hagelin is 5’11”. Other smol bois who play strong two-way hockey include Matt Grzelcyk, Adam Fox, Brayden Point, Nathan Gerbe, and Paul Byron among others. That isn’t to say Caufield projects to be someone who will even touch the ice on an NHL penalty kill, or be out late in games defending leads. It just means that he no longer projects as a Patrick Kane-level liability like he did when drafted, and he may become average with continued development. Below I’ve compiled some clips highlighting his defensive improvements:
In this clip, Caufield backchecks hard, wreaking havoc for Michigan State defenseman and team captain Tommy Miller as he attempts to break out of his own end and lead the rush. Caufield’s pressure leads to Miller losing the puck momentarily, and he is forced to throw the puck away to waiting Wisconsin defenseman Jesper Peltonen.
You might be thinking this clip looks familiar, and that’s because it is. I already used it to highlight Cole’s playmaking ability, but in actuality it’s so much more than that. The rush up-ice and slick pass to Weissbach doesn’t happen if not for the play by Cole directly before that. Following his backcheck, he cuts across the blueline like a defenseman closing his gap, narrowing the distance between himself and the puck carrier(s). In this instance, Caufield doesn’t need to take the puck away from them - they leave it right there on a silver platter for him. That said, that doesn’t happen without Cole’s pressure at his own defensive blueline. There is a reason defensemen are taught to step up defensively at the defensive blue - the danger of offsides makes it perhaps the most chaotic place on the hockey rink for the attacking team. Zone entries are the downfall of many teams, including Michigan State in this instance.
While this clip isn’t really a defensive play, it does demonstrate much of what has made him a better defender. Defense is about reading plays, and that’s what Caufield does here against Anaheim Ducks second rounder and World Junior teammate Jackson LaCombe. He applies pressure quickly and effectively. Physicality, though useful, is not imperative to a successful forecheck. Rather than using his body to attempt to knock LaCombe off the puck, Caufield recognizes his faults (size/strength) and utilizes his strengths, targeting the puck directly and pick-pocketing one of the most reliable defensemen in the Big 10 leading to a pair of quality shot attempts including a goal.
And as promised, here’s Cole Caufield’s goal-scoring ability on full display in case you’re in need of a pick-me-up:
(credit to ALLSPORT MIXTAPES on YouTube for the last clip)
In an interview last May with Todd Milewski of the Wisconsin State Journal shortly following the disappointing end to his freshman season with the Badgers, Cole Caufield made his goals clear for the 2020-21 season: “[What] I want to improve on is being a guy that people can rely on in all situations. And be a voice in the locker room, too, that people look to when times aren’t so good.”
Well, at almost every point this season, times were pretty damn good for the Badgers. Few people are qualified to comment on Wisconsin’s locker room and I am certainly not one of them, but if his other goal is any indication, I’d say Caufield’s leadership has probably been excellent. A year ago, Cole said he was going to use this season to round out his game. He spent this season doing exactly that, taking upon a greater role in playmaking, play-driving, defense, etc. He’s no longer the one-dimensional scorer he was when drafted. In addition to creating opportunities for himself, he’s added the ability to play competent defense, and be the primary play-driver on his line, creating chances for his four teammates on the ice as well. These developments have primed Cole for a probably Hobey Baker win, and now as he prepares to make his debut for the Laval Rocket, we will see if the changes Cole has made to his game are enough to translate to the professional level as well. I’d be willing to bet they are.