1. Round One, Pick Eleven: RW Cole Caufield
A native of Stevens Point, Wisconsin, Cole Caufield fills a need that fans have vied to get for years; a pure sniper.
Caufield had an exciting year with the USNTDP Juniors in the United States Hockey League (USHL), scoring 41 points in 28 games with the club. He led the team, which featured prominent prospect Jack Hughes, in goals by a considerable margin with 29 on the season. The next closest player had just 17, which speaks to how good Caufield’s sniping capabilities are. I’m also impressed that he was able to, on average, score over a goal a game. I don’t care about the overall talent level of the USHL, that’s a remarkable feat to reach in any league.
The versatile right winger showed out in the United States Developmental Program (USDP), as well. Caufield netted 77 points (54 Goals, 23 Assists) in 56 games with the Under-18 team. That was good for third in points and first in goals by another big gap.
Goal scoring isn’t all Caufield does. He plays with a noticeable aggressive demeanor and doesn’t back down from anybody. Flyers fans will come to love that from the future Wisconsin Badger, as we already do with Travis Konecny.
The only “flaw” he has is his size. Caufield stands at 5’7 and weighs 170 pounds according to EliteProspects, but I’m here to tell you that size doesn’t matter if the talent level is there. There are plenty of guys currently playing in the NHL who are considered small, from Tyler Johnson to Alex DeBrincat, and both seem to be doing just fine for themselves with their respective teams.
Caufield’s knack for scoring goals is just way too good to pass up and brings more than just that with very solid skating, deking, and passing abilities in his arsenal.