Judd Caulfield, a North Dakota kid, finally realized his NHL dream as he made the opening night roster

A native of Grand Forks, Caulfield has been waiting for his moment for a few years now. He is one of a pretty exclusive group: just over 20 players from North Dakota have played in an NHL game. Only three are active, with the other two being recent Stanley Cup winner Jackson Blake, son of former Duck Jason Blake, with the Carolina Hurricanes. As well as Tyler Kleven, who currently plays on the blueline for the Ottawa Senators. The trio was also on the same University of North Dakota team.

Close but no cigar

Caulfield was drafted back in 2019 by the Pittsburgh Penguins but never played professionally within their system. He ended up going the NCAA route and playing four full years with the Fighting Hawks. He had decent stats as he put up 29 goals and 62 points in 133 games.

In March of 2023, his draft rights were traded to Anaheim, and he played five games in the minors for the San Diego Gulls at the end of the 2022-23 campaign. In April of that year, he was signed to an entry-level contract by the Ducks. He became a fan favorite in San Diego over the next couple of years. He averaged around half a point per game with the Gulls over the last three seasons. He was third on the team last year in goal scoring with 17. That earned him a two-year contract, which was signed this past July 1.

Getting his shot

Although Caulfield had not previously had a chance to play for the big club before this season, it was a nice surprise to see that he had made the roster for 2026-27. He made his NHL debut on October 2 at Vegas. A special night for any player, to be sure. He followed that up with a huge milestone on the road at Winnipeg just a week later.

Being from Grand Forks, the Winnipeg Jets would be his “hometown” game at the top level, with the two cities being separated by only two and a half hours of driving. The rookie scored his first NHL goal late in the opening period to give Anaheim the 1-0 lead. It was made more special because his grandmother was in attendance to see it in person. He finished that night by adding an assist (Tim Washe’s GWG) for two points on the occasion. He was named the First Star of the game to boot.

Not only was his first goal in the show a major event, but the second he scored was just as commemorative. On October 24, he scored a 3-3 goal in the eventual Ducks win over the Philadelphia Flyers. An okay tally, but it came just three days after the birth of his son, Crew.

As of November 2, Caulfield has 4 goals and 4 assists in just 12 games including his first multi-goal effort and an assist on Roger McQueen's power play goal. Part of the Ducks win over the Senators 6-3 on Sunday night. He’s been a solid bottom-six fixture in the lineup, playing a lot of his minutes with Washe and fellow Ducks newcomer Jeff Malott. He has even made the top line with Leo Carlsson a time or two, with some time on the power play as well. He may not blow any minds with high production or become a superstar player, but at age 25 he has proven to be a very effective player at the highest level. He’s been a bright spot in the Ducks lineup this season thus far as the team has struggled a bit out of the gate.

Final thoughts

Judd Caulfield has had a bit of a tougher path to the NHL, but has persevered through college, the minors, and now finds himself with an earned place in Orange Country. All Anaheim faithful should be watching him more closely and hope to see him become a real force at the wing. Go Ducks!

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