Photo Credit: University of Wisconsin Athletics
Caufield has always been an expert at lighting the lamp, of course.
His numbers with the United States National Team Development Program before being drafted by Montreal were nothing short of remarkable.
And he kept things rolling at Wisconsin with his blistering shot, which Granato wants to see more of in the weeks and months to come.
Keep in mind that Caufield leads the Badgers with 79 shots and registered a career-high 12 shots against Michigan State on December 7.
"Shoot the puck as many times as you want. You cross the blue line, I expect it to be delivered to the net. Their goalie should be expecting it, his linemates should be expecting it, the crowd should be expecting it. Everybody should. That's something he does better than every other player, certainly in our league and probably as well as a lot of NHLers that are great goal scorers. That's what we want him to do," praised Granato. "He's got to be on the scoresheet and be a threat every time he crosses the blue line. I'd love to have him increase that shot total to where he can get five or six a game. That would be more of what I think he's capable of."
According to Granato, Caufield "must've hit 16 or 17 posts, maybe more" during the first half of the season and "there was about six weeks in a row where he averaged over a two a game," so he's convinced the youngster's production will only increase going forward.
With that in mind, Granato is committed to pushing the Stevens Point, WI native to take his overall game to new heights and be the best possible version of himself while he's still a Badger.
"You have to challenge them. Cole needs that. Cole wants that. And Cole has to have that. It's a stepping stone to get ready for the next level and playing in Montreal," explained Granato. "As a coach, you have to be in a position where you're challenging him and pushing him and trying to help him understand what it's going to take to be ready for that next challenge."