Cole Caufield is showing he has the talent and pedigree to overcome his diminutive size (5-foot-7, 162 pounds) and excel in the NHL.

The No. 15 pick by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2019 NHL Draft, Caufield's older brother, Brock Caufield, played at the University of Wisconsin. Their father, Paul Caufield, played NCAA Division III hockey at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Their grandfather, Wayne Caufield, was a 2011 inductee into the Wisconsin Hockey Hall of Fame who spent more than two decades coaching youth hockey and managing hockey clinics in the Milwaukee area.

Cole Caufield won the 2021 Hobey Baker Award, voted as the top men's player in NCAA Division I ice hockey. As a sophomore at Wisconsin, he led NCAA Division I in goals (30), points (52), power-play goals (11), power-play points (24) and shots on goal (165) and was named Big Ten Player of the Year. He also scored five points (two goals, three assists) in seven games to help the United States win the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship.

After scoring 88 points (49 goals, 39 assists) in 67 games in two NCAA seasons, Caufield signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Canadiens on March 27, 2021, and made his NHL debut in a 2-1 win against the Calgary Flames on April 26.

Caufield scored his first NHL goal May 1 against the Ottawa Senators, and his first goal in the Stanley Cup Playoffs on June 14, a 4-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Semifinals.

NOTES & TRANSACTIONS

• Big Ten All-Freshman Team (2020)
• Big Ten First All-Star Team (2020, 2021)
• Big Ten Player of the Year (2021)
• Hobey Baker Memorial Award (Top U.S. Collegiate Player) (2021)
• NCAA (West) First All-American Team (2021)