Prospect Info: Cole Caufield (Part 5) - No Sophmore Slump, please Edition

[Supersonic]

Agreed... you add explosive skating to his resume and he is able to create more time and space where he is very dangerous. His shot accuracy and quick release is impressive. Hockey IQ and vision is pretty good too.

Poehling / Suzuki / Caufield I would love to see what these 3 can do in the future

I’d hope we could find a better LW for Caufield TBH. As it stands, Poehling has shown almost no flashes of being a top 6 winger (where Caufield almost certainly will end up).

 

[Be a Hab]

I like Caufield. I believe he will become an NHLer. Seems to have that drive, passion, work ethic, confidence and talent that you need to make it to the NHL.

I remember when a lot of people were saying Ganchenyuk>>>>>>>Gallagher because Galchenyuk had size+talent. To make it to the NHL you definitely need talent howerver, you also need good intangibles like Gallagher has and Caufield seems to have too.

I'm a Caufield fan, hopefully he can stay healthy and keep developing like he has.

 

[Habs Halifax]

I’d hope we could find a better LW for Caufield TBH. As it stands, Poehling has shown almost no flashes of being a top 6 winger (where Caufield almost certainly will end up).

Need to mix in a power forward with Suzuki/Caufield IMO. All Poehling needs to do is play physical and chip in on offense here and there. His vision is actually better than he is getting credit for. Hold off judgment till he plays his 2nd pro year healthy. This kid is hungry to prove himself and I bet you he comes into camp next year on a mission.

Poehling is not another McCarron. Past does not equal the future

 

[Habs Halifax]

I like Caufield. I believe he will become an NHLer. Seems to have that drive, passion, work ethic, confidence and talent that you need to make it to the NHL.

I remember when a lot of people were saying Ganchenyuk>>>>>>>Gallagher because Galchenyuk had size+talent. To make it to the NHL you definitely need talent howerver, you also need good intangibles like Gallagher has and Caufield seems to have too.

I'm a Caufield fan, hopefully he can stay healthy and keep developing like he has.

Some mix of Skinner and Cammy if you ask me.

 

[Supersonic]

Need to mix in a power forward with Suzuki/Caufield IMO. All Poehling needs to do is play physical and chip in on offense here and there. His vision is actually better than he is getting credit for. Hold off judgment till he plays his 2nd pro year healthy. This kid is hungry to prove himself and I bet you he comes into camp next year on a mission.

Poehling is not another McCarron. Past does not equal the future

I’m more than happy and open to being wrong It is just not reassuring to see him struggle at both the AHL and NHL level and the yo-yoing that MB did to him

 

[crosbyshow]

I like Caufield. I believe he will become an NHLer. Seems to have that drive, passion, work ethic, confidence and talent that you need to make it to the NHL.

I remember when a lot of people were saying Ganchenyuk>>>>>>>Gallagher because Galchenyuk had size+talent. To make it to the NHL you definitely need talent howerver, you also need good intangibles like Gallagher has and Caufield seems to have too.

I'm a Caufield fan, hopefully he can stay healthy and keep developing like he has.

In fact I always said since last year that Cole should train in Summer with Gallagher and his father.

Cole is not strong enough in the corners on 5 vs 5. He lost all his battles at the world juniors vs 18-19 years old defensemen.

Gallagher's training over the years helped him à lot.

 

[Habs Halifax]

I’m more than happy and open to being wrong It is just not reassuring to see him struggle at both the AHL and NHL level and the yo-yoing that MB did to him

We will see. He had a similar season when he was 17/18 in the NCAA. Hungry to improve and show others you are NHL talent is hard to predict. After his age 17/18 season, he released he needed to add muscle and he busted his ass off adding a few lbs.

I don't expect him to be a center at this stage. Maybe help out with faceoffs and with injuries here and there. I think he can be a valuable winger for us. We need his skating/size combo in our top 6 mix IMO.

 

[Be a Hab]

Some mix of Skinner and Cammy if you ask me.

Not a bad comparison!

Just Skinner is obviously a much better skater but skill wise they are a like!

I really like the Cammy comparable! Pure sniper, loves to find the quiet spots around the ice.. I actually think think Caufield might be more prone to get in the dirty areas to score goals.

 

[Habs Halifax]

Not a bad comparison!

Just Skinner is obviously a much better skater but skill wise they are a like!

I really like the Cammy comparable! Pure sniper, loves to find the quiet spots around the ice.. I actually think think Caufield might be more prone to get in the dirty areas to score goals.

Caufield to me is deadly in open space which projects to be a PP weapon. With 5/5, I think he will have his struggles with those big boys that skate well and neutralize. The key is line balance with skill/size/strength/skating

A great top 6 piece for our future. I just hope we mix in a few big boys that skate well cause I'm tired of the smurfs representing 50% of our roster

 

[DAChampion]

I hope that Caulfield becomes at least as effective as Gallagher.

 

[Sterling Archer]

Struble is one to watch. I can see his stock rising fast in his 2nd NCAA year and if he makes the US WJC team.

I heard at the draft that he was expecting Boston to take him in the 1st round and it was a surprise that they didn't. In any case, I agree and see big things in his future. He has the full toolkit, now just needs to keep getting better as he has been.

Watching his pre-draft scouting report make me laugh. He does all the things well that Julien hates his defencemen doing lol. Gets caught in the O zone, goes out of position for the bog hit, takes time getting back into position, likes to skate the puck out of the zone etc. He might have a hard time playing in a Julien system if he or Julien make it that far.

Jayden Struble

 

[Habs Halifax]

I heard at the draft that he was expecting Boston to take him in the 1st round and it was a surprise that they didn't. In any case, I agree and see big things in his future. He has the full toolkit, now just needs to keep getting better as he has been.

Watching his pre-draft scouting report make me laugh. He does all the things well that Julien hates his defencemen doing lol. Gets caught in the O zone, goes out of position for the bog hit, takes time getting back into position, likes to skate the puck out of the zone etc. He might have a hard time playing in a Julien system if he or Julien make it that far.

Jayden Struble

In all fairness, a lot of coaches dislike offensive D men that don't care about playing D. Except for Keefe I guess . A guy like Juulsen or Brook could be a good playing partner to Struble.

Interesting that he thought the Bruins would take him. They took Beecher who was ranked 30-35 ish. Struble had a 50th ranking. Having multiple 2nd's is a good thing and Habs need to keep that trend going.

 

[Sasha Orlov]

I hope that Caulfield becomes at least as effective as Gallagher.

I get what you mean, but this is a hard comparison to make. Caufield should contribute at LEAST as much as Gallagher offensively, and is on pace to be a much more lethal player. In terms of the grinding, physical aspects of the game, Caufield will never be like Gallagher. Regardless, I am very excited about the future of this team with future stars like Caufield, Romanov, Suzuki leading the way.

 

[ahmedou]

 

[ahmedou]

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

I hope that Caulfield becomes at least as effective as Gallagher.

I'd hope he scores a lot more goals. That's where his real value is. I can't see him being all that effective in other areas but if he's consistently potting a lot of goals that can be overlooked. If not...

 

[Habs Halifax]

I hope that Caulfield becomes at least as effective as Gallagher.

Offensively yes. Overall effectiveness at 5/5 and both ends of the ice? Doubt it. Regardless, we need his shot power and sniping ability.

I think Caufield has multiple 30+ goal seasons. Maybe even a few 40+ in his prime. Finding the right line for him to play on is key though. Is Suzuki and Caufield too small to play together? Not sure

 

[Scriptor]

People completely overlook that Caufield has good vision and is a pretty good playmaker as well. His point production in his first NCAA season was evenly split down the middle between goals and assists (18Gs, 18As, 36Ps). I could see Caufield as a 30-30 player in the NHL or, even, a 40-30 player on a good top line. In either case, varying dos game will only make him more deadly, in the end.

It's not like he always shoots the puck as soon as it lands on his stick, although he would surely generate a high goal scoring shot percentage because of the accuracy of his shot and the quickness of his release. I think we would want Caufield to have a high volume of shots.

He's also a decent skater (good first few steps), even if some act like both his skates are stuck in cement .

In Juniors, he also showed he could cover defensive assignments when his team wasn't in full control of the puck in the O-zone. In fact he used the defensive curls back towards the blue line as a bonus to free himself from defensive coverage and find open ice again if his team gained control of the puck.

I honestly don't know what people watch (did they even watch) before they make judgment calls on a player.

 

[DAChampion]

People completely overlook that Caufield has good vision and is a pretty good playmaker as well. His point production in his first NCAA season was evenly split down the middle between goals and assists (18Gs, 18As, 36Ps). I could see Caufield as a 30-30 player in the NHL or, even, a 40-30 player on a good top line. In either case, varying dos game will only make him more deadly, in the end.

It's not like he always shoots the puck as soon as it lands on his stick, although he would surely generate a high goal scoring shot percentage because of the accuracy of his shot and the quickness of his release. I think we would want Caufield to have a high volume of shots.

He's also a decent skater (good first few steps), even if some act like both his skates are stuck in cement .

In Juniors, he also showed he could cover defensive assignments when his team wasn't in full control of the puck in the O-zone. In fact he used the defensive curls back towards the blue line as a bonus to free himself from defensive coverage and find open ice again if his team gained control of the puck.

I honestly don't know what people watch (did they even watch) before they make judgment calls on a player.

I have not watched Caulfield, which is why I stated a hope rather than an expectation.

 

[ahmedou]

Offensive Zone Analysis:

“His most most interesting aspect isn't his shot as effective as it's. Caufield creates scoring chances on his own with: 1)Anticipation + 2)Movement + 3)Awareness + 4)Timing”

 

[ahmedou]

Cole Caufield – A Man Of His Word

“Cole Caufield will've to step up his game as he'll be depended up to carry a bigger load and likely be the key leader on the ice. He'll have all the opportunities to do be the catalyst by playing another year in the NCAA. This is the right time to make mistakes and learn as there fewer games compared to other leagues like the CHL and AHL. And there's more time to focus on practice, training in the gym, and reviewing plays via video review.”

“If there’s one thing that Cole needs to learn is how to manage all this as it will be his first season in a long time without a high-end player helping him carry the weight and pressure of the team. He’s coming off a great individual freshman year but the team needs to show signs of progression and Cole will've to play a major part in this team’s success if there's any.”

 

[ahmedou]

Todd Milewski (journaliste sportif du Wisconsin State Journal) sur Cole Caufield

«Je crois qu’il est juste de comparer le niveau de jeu de Cole, à sa première saison dans la NCAA, à celui qu’ont présenté Dany Heatley et Joe Pavelski au même moment. Il me faisait penser à eux, parfois. Cela dit, il est extrêmement difficile de savoir si Caufield pourra transposer sa sublime constance dans la LNH, à l’image de ce qu’ont fait Pavelski et Heatley. Mais si l’on concentre notre analyse seulement sur la première saison, je n’ai pas peur de dire que c’est un comparatif juste.»

«Sa préparation, bien honnêtement, est remarquable. C’est beaucoup plus que passer quelques heures sur la glace. Il met un effort complètement fou à travailler sur lui à l’extérieur de la glace. Cole est un gars qui se sert de chaque minute passée à l’extérieur de l’aréna pour améliorer les petites choses. Et je crois que c’est ce genre de souci du détail qui finit par faire la différence entre un bon joueur et un joueur sublime.»

«Certains disent qu’il doit améliorer sa façon d’aborder quelques situations spécifiques. Il doit apprendre à dicter le tempo d’un match. Il ne doit pas seulement attendre une passe seul sur son île déserte en s’effaçant du jeu. Mais il sait qu’il doit devenir un joueur qui excelle sur la surface de jeu entière. Et il y travaille beaucoup. Il veut, et il doit s’impliquer davantage lors des sorties de zone. On veut le voir transporter la rondelle davantage, plutôt que de l’attendre constamment de l’autre côté.»

«Je vais te répondre ceci : peu importe la prédiction que les gens vont faire, il voudra tout faire pour dépasser ce chiffre. Il est comme ça. Il veut constamment prouver aux gens que son potentiel est illimité. Les gens disaient qu’il était trop petit, et regarde ce qu’il a fait avec le Programme national de développement américain! Si tu lui dis qu’il ne marquera pas 30 buts dans la LNH, il va tout faire pour te prouver que tu te trompes.»

 

[ahmedou]

 

[montreal]

pretty high praise by the Wisconsin reporter, comping him to Dany Heatley and Joe Pavelski, would be sweet if he can produce like either of them.

 

[Pompeius Magnus]

pretty high praise by the Wisconsin reporter, comping him to Dany Heatley and Joe Pavelski, would be sweet if he can produce like either of them.

2 former Badgers (for those who might not be aware) so the reporter is quite familiar with them at the same age.