Watch now: Cole Caufield’s remarkable shot, and how it compares to his Badgers predecessors

It doesn’t seem to matter whether the puck is in a bad spot relative to Caufield’s stick, Badgers senior goalie Robbie Beydoun said. He still uses his balance and hand coordination to create a scoring chance.

“You’ll ask NHL goalies — it’s not the hardest shot. It’s not the guy that can pick the little spots. It’s the guys like Matthews, (Connor) McDavid, they just get the pucks off their sticks so fast,” Beydoun said. “When you’re able to do that, the goalie’s not going to be as set. When a goalie’s set in this league and up, the goalies are going to make the saves on clear-sighted shots. The elite goal-scorers like Cole, those are guys that can beat goalies clean on wristers. And he’s able to do that because he’s able to get it off extremely quick.”

Improvements to Caufield’s shot have been through repetition, he said. How much better it can get as he approaches an NHL career is a tempting thought for the Montreal Canadiens, who picked him in the first round in 2019.

Extra work after practices and in the offseason make the improbable shots go where Caufield wants them to.

“I’ve never played with anyone that wants to get better the way that he wants to get better,” Rowe said. “I don’t think I’ve ever played with someone that wants to continue to open up the box and go, what else can I do?”