Cole Caufield (front) after he was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the 2019 NHL Draft Friday, June 21. (Jonathan Hayward photo/The Canadian Press)

Portage County Gazette

By John Kemmeter

Former Stevens Point Area Senior High School (SPASH) standout Cole Caufield was selected in the first round of the National Hockey League (NHL) Draft Friday, June 21.

A 5-7, 163-pound right wing, Caufield was selected 15th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the NHL Draft.

During his sophomore season at SPASH, Cole Caufield (8) skates past a defender during the ninth-ranked Panthers’ 4-2 win over 10th-ranked Antigo at K.B. Willett Arena Nov. 29, 2016. (John Kemmeter photo)

A Mosinee native who was born in Stevens Point, Caufield played two seasons at SPASH, where he was a First Team All-State selection as a freshman in 2015-16, and a Unanimous First Team All-State selection as a sophomore in 2016-17, before he spent the last two seasons playing for the USA Hockey National Team Development Program (NTDP) in Plymouth, Mich.

In what would have been his senior year at SPASH this season, Caufield finished with 72 goals to set the NTDP single-season record, and ended with a NTDP career-record 126 goals.

In April, he competed in the 2019 International Ice Hockey Federation U18 World Championship in Sweden, where he was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament after he tied Alex Ovechkin’s World Championship record with 14 goals, as he helped the United States win the Bronze Medal.

Caufield has committed to play in college for the NCAA Division 1 University of Wisconsin, where his older brother Brock was a freshman last season.