It was a historic night for the Montreal Canadiens top prospect. On the same night, Cole Caufield wins the Hobey Baker award and makes his professional debut, playing for the Laval Rocket in the AHL against the Toronto Marlies. Caufield would get the first star, scoring two goals and an assist in his professional hockey debut.
The Hobey Baker Memorial Award Committee announced today the 2021 recipient of college hockey’s top individual prize is Cole Caufield from the University of Wisconsin. The announcement came during a live broadcast on NHL Network and https://t.co/jiQDB4jGhc. pic.twitter.com/oQ7qEbXNos
— Hobey Baker Award (@HobeyBakerAward) April 9, 2021
With AHL Debut On Tap; Cole Caufield wins Hobey Baker Award
Caufield scored 30 goals and 52 points in just 31 games to lead the nation in both goals and points this season. The Wisconsin Badger forward helped his team to a regular season Big Ten Championship, but the Badgers lost the conference playoff tournament final, and fell in the first round of the Frozen Four tournament. The next day, Caufield signed his first professional contract with the Montreal Canadiens.
Caufield watched the ceremony from his coach, Joel Bouchard’s office before playing the Marlies. Bouchard said that he wanted Caufield to experience this special moment in his career.
Caufield scored a power-play goal with a great one-timer early in the second period.
Goal Caufield pic.twitter.com/FqvkviDMKG
— American Hockey League (@TheAHL) April 10, 2021
He also made a great individual play to set up Xavier Ouellet with a goal in the second period.
Oh my god the hands on Caufield.
Ouellet with his second of the year, but what an assist by the SGB. pic.twitter.com/w9HZlylECr
— Scott Matla (@scottmatla) April 10, 2021
Late in the game, Caufield pounced on a Marlies turnover, created a partial breakaway where he was stopped by Joseph Woll. However Caufield did not give up on the play and scored on his own rebound.
HE’S DONE IT AGAIN
🚨 COLE CAUFIELD – 2ND OF THE GAME
4-3 @RocketLaval
🎥 AHLtv pic.twitter.com/Hr401DgIsv— Here’s Your Replay ⬇️ (@HeresYourReplay) April 10, 2021
Our scouting report on Caufield says: “Caufield has an excellent arsenal of shots. His wrist shot and snapshot are both deadly accurate and have good power. They also have very quick releases which fool goaltenders. Caufield also has a very good one-timer. He has a knack for finding soft spots in the defence and getting his shot off. Caufield can even score on his backhand. He is not afraid to battle in the dirty areas of the ice and goes hard to the net. When he is there, he can score on rebounds and deflections due to his soft hands and excellent coordination.”
The Two teams play again tomorrow at 3:00 pm EDT.
Main Photo: VANCOUVER, BC – JUNE 21: Cole Caufield poses for a photo onstage after being selected fifteenth overall by the Montreal Canadiens during the first round of the 2019 NHL Draft at Rogers Arena on June 21, 2019 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Derek Cain/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
