This Could Be the Next Great Blackhawks Dynamic Duo

2019 NHL Draft prospect, Cole Caufield, is an extremely talented and natural goal scorer who has drawn comparisons to Blackhawks’ F Alex DeBrincat in both their size and skill set.

We could potentially be looking at the next Blackhawks dynamic duo, if Cole Caufield ends up in Chicago. Caufield may be the best pure goal scorer in this year’s draft class. His stock has been rising as of late and the Blackhawks may have penciled his name onto their draft board.

There are a couple of different ways Cole Caufield could find himself in a Blackhawks sweater:

Option #1: StanBo & Co. can draft Caufield 3rd overall, which may be a bit of a reach considering the other talent in the draft. Although, I wouldn’t necessarily be opposed to it. Alex DeBrincat has worked out pretty well.

Option #2: Trade down, draft Cole Caufield, and gain other assets in the process such as additional draft picks or players. With so many holes and a lack of depth on the NHL, this could be a more feasible option.

What Does Cole Caufield Bring to the Table?

Cole Caufield has had an extremely impressive career to this point. This past season while playing on the U.S. National U18 Team, Caufield exponentially boosted his stock, as he put up 100 points (72G, 28A) in 64 games.

He also had a great showing while playing on the USA U18 Team in the IIHF World Juniors, where he tallied 18 points (14G, 4A) in 7 games with a 12 ± rating. Caufield also had a leadership role in the past 2 seasons with Team USA as an alternate captain.

The Cole Caufield-Alex DeBrincat comparisons are well warranted, as they are both smaller players with a knack for goal scoring. One such comparison on eliteprospects.com, tells you what Caufield brings to the table:

“A game-breaking goal scorer that, despite his diminutive frame, thrives under pressure and is difficult to contain. He’s a silky smooth skater that traverses all three zones with jump and jam. Defensively, he’s uncomfortable having the puck in his own end for long and he’ll make the extra effort to pressure around the blue line and take away cross-ice options. Upon procuring puck possession, he’ll be the first to explode up ice in-transition.The hallmark of his game is his exceptional goal-scoring ability. He has a shot that absolutely leaps off his stick with pinpoint accuracy when he lets loose and a low centre of gravity that facilitates fast and flashy puckhandling at pace. He affords his linemates options by taking advantage of any allotted attention he garners, generating time and space by drawing guys in; he’s perpetually hard to play against. All-in-all, Cole Caufield is an electrifying goal-scoring machine that makes some of the most otherworldly plays look like child’s play.” [EP 2019]

That sure sounds an awful lot like Alex DeBrincat and the comparisons don’t stop there. If you’re more of the “seeing is believing” type, the following highlights are for you as they provide physical evidence and justify all of the comparisons.

It is still unclear as to what the Blackhawks will do come draft time, but Cole Caufield could be an interesting option. In the meantime, we will all have to play the waiting game until Friday, June 21st.

The suspense has become somewhat overwhelming, because there is so much riding on the 2019 offseason. I have been on the edge of my seat since the Blackhawks lucked into the 3rd overall pick and I know many others are as well. This is truly an exciting time to be a fan.