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Caufield goes to the Canadiens at #15 in the first round

By Michael Trzinski, WiPH Staff & Submitted, 06/21/19, 10:00PM CDT

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Wisconsin recruit tabbed by Montreal in the middle of the opening round

As former SPASH star Cole Caufield woke up Friday morning, he was unsure of when he would hear his name called in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver Friday evening.

Mock drafts had him going anywhere from Top 10 to end of the first round.

He may have been disappointed to hear his name announced at #15, but it is a good bet that the Montreal Canadiens were thrilled to bring the diminutive goal scorer into the fold of Les Habitants.

Caufield (5-7, 163), who will attend the University of Wisconsin in the fall, set a record for goals (72) this season and career goals (126) in 123 games in two seasons at the NTDP. His 282 shots on goal led the NTDP and his 100 points in 64 games were second to Jack Hughes. Caufield's 14 goals for the U.S. at the World U-18 Championship tied Alex Ovechkin (Russia, 2002) for the most in a single tournament. Caufield played on a line with Hughes for most of the season, but when Hughes was playing at the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship, Caufield scored seven goals in six games.

NHL.com analysis: A bit of a surprise that the best pure goal-scorer in the draft was available at No. 15, but the Canadiens must have been thrilled. The size factor won't prevent Caufield from succeeding. Caufield on the right wing on a line with center Jesper Kotkaniemi sometime in the next two seasons has the potential to be a promising, productive scoring attack.