The Laval Rocket won by a score of 3-0 on Wednesday night against the Belleville Senators. In the win, Cayden Primeau recorded a 34-save shutout, while Cole Caufield earned an assist on his teammate Ryan Poehling's second goal.
Speaking of Caufield, he had a great game and showed a lot of confidence. He had one assist and two shots on goal, but it was his use of the power play that caught the eye.
Being right handed, we are used to seeing Caufield play around the circle to the left of the net, he has a very good shot, both from the wrists and on the catch. On Wednesday night, however, we got a glimpse of the small forward stationed in front of the net when his team was playing with an extra man.
At the end of the game, Laval Rocket head coach Jean-Francois Houle explained the logic behind the change. According to him, he believes that Caufield would be able to have similar success to Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brayden Point under similar circumstances. He also adds that the coaching staff has liked the work of Finnish forward Jesse Ylonen on the right side of the power play since his arrival in North America last season. The hope is that he will be able to find Caufield in the slot, but Ylonen is also considered to be quite comfortable in the shooting role.
While both players (Caufield and Point) have similar stature, they don't necessarily have the same style of play. Cole Caufield is considered more of a sniper, which turns off some fans. On the other hand, it's true that if Caufield is able to make (or find) space in the slot and is served with brilliant passing, it could eventually pay off.
