Cole Caufield wins the 2021 Hobey Baker Award

After flirting with the goal-per-game mark in his second and ultimately final season in the NCAA, Cole Caufield has been named the winner of the 2021 Hobey Baker Award.

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

The award is contested among the Division I men’s hockey players who “exhibit strength and character, both on and off the ice; contribute to the integrity of the team; display outstanding skills in all phases of the game, and; show scholastic achievement and sportsmanship.” Caufield was in the final running with goaltender Dryden McKay from Minnesota State University, and Ottawa Senators draft selection Shane Pinto.

In two seasons with the University of Wisconsin, Caufield scored 49 goals and added 39 assists. This season he registered 30 of those goals in just 31 games played. In his final six contests, including a late push to secure the Big Ten regular-season championship, Caufield had four multi-goal games. In the final game he played trying to keep his team alive in the NCAA Tournament, he had two goals, one assist, and 13 shots on goal.

There was nothing left for him to prove offensively at the collegiate level, and he has therefore opted to move on to the professional ranks, signing his entry-level contract with the Montreal Canadiens on March 27. After serving a week-long quarantine and getting in a few practices with the Laval Rocket, he will make his AHL debut this evening to cap off an eventful day, looking to translate his offensive play to the pro level in what is sure to be a short stay in the minor leagues.

Hobey Baker Award winners 2012-21