Cole Caufield

2019–2021

Caufield played for the Wisconsin Badgers of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) from 2019 to 2021.^[14] During his freshman season in 2019–20, he recorded 19 goals and 17 assists in 36 games, leading the Big Ten in goals scored to win the conference scoring title. For his efforts, Caufield was selected to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team, All-First Team, and was also named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, becoming the second Badger to win the award after Trent Frederic in 2017.^[15][16]

With uncertainty surrounding the 2020–21 NCAA season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Caufield opted not to turn professional with the Canadiens and instead returned for his sophomore season with Wisconsin, saying that this decision was the "best thing for me...to come back, get another year, get stronger and faster and dominate more and become more of a leader".^[17]

During the aforementioned season, Caufield led the entire NCAA with 30 goals and 52 points in 31 games and became the first back-to-back Big Ten scoring champion. He was likewise selected to the NCAA East Regional All-Tournament Team, the Big Ten All-Tournament Team, and earned both First-Team All-Big Ten and Big Ten Player of the Year honors.^[14] On April 9, 2021, Caufield was named to the AHCA First-Team All-American and recipient of the annual Hobey Baker Award as the top NCAA Division I men's ice hockey player, becoming the second player in school history to win same following Blake Geoffrion over a decade prior.^[18][19]

2021–2023

On March 27, 2021, Caufield was signed to a three-year, entry-level contract by draft team the Montreal Canadiens.^[20] After the conclusion of his collegiate career, he was first assigned to the Canadiens' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Laval Rocket.^[21] He made his professional debut for Laval on April 9, recording two goals and one assist in a 5–3 win against the Toronto Marlies.^[22] Appearing in two AHL games for Laval, Caufield was recalled to the Canadiens' taxi squad on April 16 but was unable to be assigned to the active roster due to salary cap issues.^[23] Following injuries to teammates Paul Byron and Jonathan Drouin, Caufield made his NHL debut as an emergency recall in a 2–1 victory over the Calgary Flames on April 26.^[24] On May 1, he scored his first career NHL goal in a 3–2 overtime win over the Ottawa Senators.^[25] Two days later, in a 3–2 overtime win against the Toronto Maple Leafs, he became only the third player in NHL history to score his first two career goals in overtime.^[26] He concluded the regular season with four goals and an assist in ten games played.^[27]

After being a healthy scratch for the first two games of the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs, Caufield made his NHL playoff debut in a 2–1 loss against the Toronto Maple Leafs on May 24.^[28] He scored his first NHL playoff goal in a 4–1 Stanley Cup semifinal loss against the Vegas Golden Knights on June 14.^[29][30] A few days later, Caufield scored the go-ahead goal in the Canadiens' series-clinching win over Vegas.^[31] In the 2021 Stanley Cup Finals, he recorded three assists en route to a series loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.^[32] Collectively, Caufield appeared in twenty games in his inaugural postseason run. His 12 points (four goals and eight assists) trailed only Claude Lemieux (10-6—16 in 1986) and Jacques Lemaire (7-6—13 in 1968) for the most by a Canadiens rookie in a single postseason. Caufield also became the first rookie in league history to record three overtime points in a single postseason.^[33]

Entering the 2021–22 NHL season as a favorite to win the Calder Memorial Trophy,^[34][35] Caufield struggled amidst the Canadiens' poor start, recording just a single assist in his first ten games.^[36] On November 1, he was reassigned to the AHL ranks,^[37] where he scored two goals and three assists in six games with Laval.^[38] The Canadiens subsequently recalled him to the main roster on November 18.^[39]

Both he and the team continued to struggle and, at the thirty game mark, Caufield had only one goal and seven assists to his credit. After the midseason replacement of head coach Dominique Ducharme with retired NHL star forward Martin St. Louis in February 2022, Caufield quickly saw his ice time increase, returning to the team's top line alongside Nick Suzuki and Josh Anderson. He proceeded to score six goals in his next seven games, along with four assists,^[40][41][42] and was recognized as the Canadiens' player of the month for the first time.^[43] On March 15, Caufield scored two goals in eight seconds in a game against the Arizona Coyotes, the fastest two-goal performance for the Canadiens franchise since Stéphane Richer in 1987.^[44][45] He was named the NHL Rookie of the Month for March 2022, a period in which he led all rookies in goals (7) and total points (15). With this, Caufield became the first Canadiens player to receive this distinction since Carey Price in March 2008.^[46] In the final game of the season, Caufield scored his first career NHL hat-trick in a 10–2 victory over the Florida Panthers. He finished the season with 23 goals, tied for second in rookie goal-scoring behind Tanner Jeannot of the Nashville Predators with 24.^[47]

The 2022–23 season was expected to be a development year for the rebuilding Canadiens. With Caufield and Suzuki an established duo on the team's first line, head coach St. Louis began experimenting with different players in the other winger slot. The early games saw Anderson, Sean Monahan and Mike Hoffman rotate through the position, before being given to the recently acquired Kirby Dach, the former 2019 third overall selection whom held initial expectation as a centerman.^[48] The line combination of Caufield–Suzuki–Dach generated strong initial results.^[49][50][51] On December 1, Caufield played his 100th career NHL game, and scored the game-winning goal, his 40th in the league.^[52] His 40 goals through his first 100 games was the fourth-highest for a Canadiens player in the preceding nine decades, behind only honored team members and Hockey Hall of Fame inductees Maurice "Rocket" Richard, Jean Béliveau, and Bernie Geoffrion.^[53] After scoring 26 goals and 10 assists in 46 games, it was announced on January 21 that Caufield required surgery for a shoulder injury that he had been playing through for some time, resulting in a premature end to his season.^[54]

2023–present

Following the completion of his entry-level contract in advance of the 2023–24 season, Caufield signed a new eight-year, $62.8 million extension with the Canadiens on June 5, 2023.^[55] With hopes of continuing his scoring pace from the first half of the prior campaign, he would unexpectedly record the lowest shooting percentage of his career. Caufield's scoring difficulties were a subject of considerable media discussion, and partially attributed by observers to his recovery from surgery.^[56][57][58] Despite these struggles, he still set new personal highs in goals (28) and points (65), and was credited for improved off-puck play. His line with Suzuki and Juraj Slafkovský earned praise for its collective performance.^[59]

In September 2024, Caufield announced that he would be switching jersey numbers from 22 to 13 following the death of Columbus Blue Jackets winger Johnny Gaudreau the month prior,^[60] citing Gaudreau as an inspiration for players of smaller stature such as himself.^[61][62] Coincidentally, he would register his thirteenth goal of the 2024–25 season on the road at Nationwide Arena versus the Blue Jackets.^[63] He scored his 100th career NHL goal in a 3–2 Canadiens win versus the Vegas Golden Knights on December 31, 2024.^[64] Thereafter, he registered his 200th career NHL point on February 25, 2025 against the Carolina Hurricanes, effectively becoming the fastest player in franchise history to reach this juncture dating back over three decades (263 games played) following Stéphane Richer, who achieved the feat in 243 games culminating over the course of the 1988–89 season.^[65] On April 14, Caufield registered his 100th career NHL assist in a 4–3 shootout loss to the Chicago Blackhawks.^[66][67] He finished the season with a career-high 37 goals and 70 points,^[68] while the Canadiens qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2021, eventually losing to the Capitals in five games during their ensuing first round matchup.^[69]

Shortly into the 2025–26 season, Caufield registered his eleventh career overtime winner on October 28 against the Seattle Kraken, establishing a new franchise record.^[70] He enjoyed a prolific start to 2026, including his second career hat-trick on January 24 against the Boston Bruins.^[71] Finishing the month with 13 total goals, Caufield tied Guy Lafleur for the most goals by a Canadiens player in a single calendar month dating back to 1979.^[72] On March 18, he scored another game-winning goal in overtime against the Bruins, and reached the 40-goal mark for the first time in his career. This was the first time a Canadien had scored 40 goals in a season since Vincent Damphousse in the 1993–94 season.^[73] With a hat-trick and two assists against the New York Islanders on March 21, Caufield registered his first five-point NHL game.^[74] He was named the NHL's Third Star of the Week for March 16–22.^[75] With a goal and an assist in a March 31 meeting with the Lightning, he accrued his 300th career NHL point.^[76] Facing the Lightning again on April 9, Caufield scored his 50th goal of the season, becoming the first Montreal player to achieve this feat since Stéphane Richer in the 1989–90 season.^[77] He finished the season with 51 goals, second in the league behind Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche, who scored 53.^[78] As well, his 88 points over 81 games played was a new career high.^[79]