Caufield 'would 100 per cent relish' chance to play for Team USA as 4 Nations nears
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Amid a hot start to the season, Montreal Canadiens forward Cole Caufield has established himself as a candidate to earn a roster spot on Team USA for the 4 Nations Face-Off this winter.
The 23-year-old winger has 12 goals and three assists in 18 games this season, but he knows it may be an uphill battle to crack a talented roster.
"I would 100 per cent relish the opportunity to play for Team USA," Caufield told Mike G. Morreale of NHL.com. "I think everyone wants to be on that team, especially with the 2026 [Milano Cortina] Olympics on the horizon. It's obviously a very competitive group... you could probably have two all-star teams full of USA players.
"But I'm just going to keep competing and doing what I can to focus on myself, and whatever happens, happens."
Rosters for the tournament are due to be submitted on Dec. 2, and will be revealed to the public two days later. TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun reported last week that, while the roster has not been set, Caufield's hot start may not be enough to get him on the team.
"No final decisions have been made, but my understanding is that despite a really great start to the season offensively for Caufield, he is on the outside looking in for that 23-man roster," LeBrun said Thursday on Insider Trading. "It speaks to the ridiculous depth that Team USA has, maybe the best depth in best-on-best hockey we've ever seen.
"He could still make it; I was told today that it really depends on what happens in the final two weeks here. Team USA is down to four or five final decisions here as they narrow down to a 23-man roster."
Each team will name 23 players to their roster, with TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston noting that the NHL turned down a request from Canada and the United States to expand the rosters to 25.
Caufield working on his defensive play
Caufield had two assists in Saturday's 5-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets, finishing as a plus-1. He is minus-5 on the season and is putting a focus on rounding out his all-around game.
"If there's one thing I've learned, you don't really have the puck on your stick that much for an NHL game, so how are you going to help the guys with the puck when you don't have it?" Caufield added. "Arriving to the spot at the right time to help out, transitioning quickly to the defensive side of the puck, being harder to play against, winning more battles... these are all things me and coach [Martin St. Louis] have talked about."
Selected 15th overall in the 2019 draft, the Stevens Point, Wis. native has 93 goals and 164 points in 223 career games.