Nothing says ‘Happy New Year’ more than getting the 100th goal of your career. Montreal Canadiens, Cole Caufield did just that.
Caufield scored the 100th goal of his NHL career on December 31st against the Las Vegas Golden Knights. The Candiens forward was on the ice alongside Captain Nick Suzuki, who essentially did a no look pass to number 13. This is Caufield’s 19th goal for the season, and helped the Canadiens make a comeback in the second period. In 242 career games, Caufield has 183 points, including his 100 goals. This is an impressive milestone for the 23 year old forward.
Caufield has continuously worked on growing and sharpening his skills. In an interview with the NHL, he mentioned areas in which is working on to continue to get better. “Arriving to the spot at the right time to help out, he said. “Transitioning quickly to the defensive side of the puck, being harder to play against, winning more battles . These are all things me and coach have talked about.”
When a player such as Caufield is aware of where he needs to add in more work. It can only get better for the Candiens as a whole. He is one of the best goal scorers in the league, there is no telling what he will do next.
Caufield was the number 15 pick in the 2019 NHL draft. He spent time playing NCAA Hockey at the University of Wisconsin. During his sophomore year, he led the NCAA in goals, points, powerplay goals and shots on goal. He had 30 goals, 52 points, 11 power play goals and 165 shots on net alone in one year. He was named the Big Ten Player of the year.
In 2021, he was awarded the Hobey Baker Award. That same year he was the top men’s player in NCAA Division I Men’s Hockey. Caufield played in the IIHF World Junior Championship, where he scored five points in seven games to help the U.S. win the tournament. He spent two seasons playing NCAA Hockey, where he ended his career with 88 points in 67 games. He then went on to sign a three year contract with the Montreal Canadiens.
Caufield made his NHL Debut on April 26, 2021 against the Calgary Flames. Shortly after his debut, he scored his first goal against the Ottawa Senators on May 1st. That same year, he scored his first playoff goal when Montreal faced the Golden Knights.
Caufield has since signed an eight year extension with the Canadiens. In the 2023-2024 season, Caufield played in all 82 games. He had 28 goals and 37 assists and an average ice time of 19:25. The team finished last in their division with a record of 30-36-16.
Caufield has joined Mats Naslund, Brian Savage, Pierre Turgeon among the ranks of players to reach 10 goals in 11 games or less for the Canadiens Franchise. The team is now 17-17-3, and are sitting sixth in their division. Caufield sits second on the roster for most points scored this season. He trails Nick Suzuki by two points. Canadiens face the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday January 3rd. Then they turn around and face the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday January 4th. This will wrap up their two week road trip run before facing Vancouver Canucks at home on January 6th.
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