Penguins 2019 fifth-round pick Judd Caulfield was a standout this week.
Caulfield, an 18-year-old freshman forward for the University of North Dakota, scored his first two collegiate goals and also recorded an assist in two games this week, giving him five points in 14 games to start the season.
All three points this week came in North Dakota's 8-2 win over Western Michigan on Saturday. Caulfield opened the scoring 93 seconds into the game:
Caulfield, who is 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds, added another goal later in the first period on the power play. His assist was the lone assist on a second-period goal.
After a slow start to the season in which Caulfield recorded only one point in seven games, he's recorded six points in his last seven games.
"He's growing," UND coach Brad Berry told the Grand Forks Herald of Caulfield's development. "He's growing his game. He's a big body. He's tough to handle. He skates well. He possesses pucks. When you get him on the ice and he's doing the right things with a player like (Shane) Pinto and a player like (Westin) Michaud, that's a pretty good line."
For Caulfield's efforts this week, he was named the National Collegiate Hockey Conference Rookie of the Week.
Midco Sports Network produced this video feature on Caulfield's upbringing and road to college hockey:
.@UNDmhockey is having a historic 2019-2020 season and Judd Caulfield has played a part in that success.
Check out this #MidcoMAG story on the forward from Grand Forks.#MidcoSN | @GFChockey | @USAHockeyNTDP pic.twitter.com/Lgm06jDjqe
— Midco Sports Network (@MidcoSN) December 10, 2019
Here’s how the rest of the Penguins’ prospects in juniors, college, and Europe did:
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FORWARDS
Judd Caulfield
Position: Forward
Size: 6-4/207
Shoots: Right
Drafted: 2019, fifth round
Team: North Dakota (NCAA)
Season totals: 14 games, 2 goals, 5 assists
Caulfield scored his first two collegiate goals and added an assist in two games this week.
Liam Gorman
Position: Center
Size: 6-3/196
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2018, sixth round
Team: Princeton (NCAA)
Season totals: 13 games, 3 assists
Gorman was scoreless in three games
Filip Hallander
Position: Center/Wing
Size: 6-1/190
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2018, second round
Team: Lulea HF (SHL)
Season totals: 2 games, 1 assist
Hallander fractured his leg in his second game of the season and is expected to be out until at least Christmas. He got the cast off of his leg in early November and resumed skating last week.
Nathan Legare
Position: Right wing
Size: 6-0/205
Shoots: Right
Drafted: 2019, third round
Team: Baie-Comeau Drakkar (QMJHL)
Season totals: 29 games, 14 goals, 16 assists
Legare scored one goal and one assist in two games.
Linus Olund
Position: Center
Size: 5-11/183
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2017, fifth round
Team: Brynas IF (SHL)
Season totals: 21 games, 1 goal, 4 assists
Olund was scoreless in two games.
Nikita Pavlychev
Position: Center
Size: 6-8/225
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2015, seventh round
Team: Penn State (NCAA)
Season totals: 10 games, 2 goal, 4 assists
Pavlychev appeared to injure his right leg on Nov. 15 and returned to Penn State's lineup this week. He was scoreless in two games.
Samuel Poulin
Position: Wing
Size: 6-1/207
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2019, first round
Team: Sherbrooke Phoenix (QMJHL)
Season totals: 25 games, 16 goals, 21 assists
Poulin remains out of Sherbrooke's lineup with an upper-body injury. He last played on Nov. 30.
He didn't record a single point in his last six games before being injured.
Valtteri Puustinen
Position: Wing
Size: 5-9/183
Shoots: Right
Drafted: 2019, seventh round
Team: HPK (Liiga)
Season totals: 28 games, 11 goals, 11 assists
Puustinen scored two goals and an assist in two games this week. He'll represent Finland in the upcoming Channel One Cup.
DEFENSEMEN
Calen Addison
Size: 5-10/180
Shoots: Right
Drafted: 2018, second round
Team: Lethbridge Hurricanes (WHL)
Season totals: 31 games, 7 goals, 22 assists
Addison added two assists in three games this week, then left Lethbridge for the start of Canada's World Junior selection camp.
Santeri Airola
Size: 5-11/165
Shoots: Right
Drafted: 2019, seventh round
Team: SaiPa (Liiga), Kettera (Mestis)
Season totals: 2 games with SaiPa; 9 games, 5 assists with Kettera
Airola recorded three assists in two games for Kettera.
Ryan Jones
Size: 6-2/186
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2016, fourth round
Team: Nebraska-Omaha (NCAA)
Season totals: 14 games, 2 goals, 4 assists
Jones was scoreless in two games this week.
Antti Palojarvi
Size: 6-1/172
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2017, sixth round
Team: Lukko (Liiga), Lukko U20 (Jr. A SM-liiga), Hokki (Mestis)
Season totals: 5 games with Lukko; 14 games, 3 assists with Lukko U20; 9 games with Hokki
Palojarvi played two games with Hokki and was scoreless.
Clayton Phillips
Size: 5-11/183
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2017, third round
Team: Penn State (NCAA)
Season totals: 17 games, 2 goal, 6 assists
Phillips was scoreless in two games this week.
William Reilly
Size: 6-2/196
Drafted: 2017, seventh round
Team: Rensselaer Polytech (NCAA)
Season totals: 16 games, 6 goal, 6 assists
Reilly was scoreless in two games.
