For what feels like years now, San Jose Sharks fans have marveled at the fact that the team lucked into defenseman Luca Cagnoni in the fourth round of the 2023 draft. It seems as though his puck carrying skills and skating abilities were overshadowed greatly by his size, or lack thereof. So much so, that teams passed on the diminutive defenseman time and time again until the Sharks picked him up at 123rd overall.
Cagnoni immediately rewarded the organization for its faith in his ability to overcome his size and become an NHL defenseman in spite of it all. In his first year post-draft, the teenager put up one of the best seasons ever by a WHL defenseman. He scored 90 points (18 G, 72 A) with the Portland Winterhawks, a mark that hadn’t been seen in the league in 30 years.
Cagnoni turned pro following his phenomenal season with the Winterhawks and scored 52 points (16 G, 36 A) with the Barracuda in 64 games. While his points dropped off a bit this past season, 43 points (8 G, 35 A) in 67 games; he was still the highest-scoring defenseman on the Barracuda and the fifth-highest-scoring player on the team.
Position: Defense
Height: 5′9″
Weight: 180 pounds
Age: 21
Date of Birth: Dec. 21, 2004
Draft Year: 2023 (123rd overall by the San Jose Sharks)
Shoots: Left
2026–27 Team: San Jose Sharks
What we like
Cagnoni has all the pieces of an elite defenseman in the NHL. And if he were four to five inches taller, we wouldn’t be having a conversation at all. That’s because everyone would be talking about him as a potential number one, power play one guy.
Cagnoni has great feet and is an elite skater. He has great moves and knows how to distribute the puck up the ice. He has a high hockey IQ that allows him to see how the play is developing and see where the puck needs to go. He has all the tools and that’s why this year it’s his time to see what he can do in the NHL. He’s honed those skills in the AHL and now he’s ready to see if what he’s learned will translate to the NHL.
Areas of improvement
For Cagnoni, it’s about how quickly he adjusts to the NHL’s speed and toughness. This is where his size could be a detriment, as seen in this clip at training camp from the Bay Area News Group’s Curtis Pashelka.
Battle drill between Cagnoni and Ostapchuk. It ends poorly for Cagnoni pic.twitter.com/OVq2nj37ey
— Curtis Pashelka (@CurtisPashelka) September 18, 2026
Notice how when Zack Ostapchuk, who has about seven inches and 35 pounds on Cagnoni, uses that extra weight to bully Cagnoni off the puck, it’s a little too easy. Skill isn’t going to do much for you if all the forward needs to do is throw his weight around. Cagnoni is going to have to be elusive and bounce back when he takes a hit.
What’s next for Cagnoni?
It’s pretty clear that Cagnoni has a chance to claim a spot on the Sharks roster. Now, the question is, can he do all the things that he needs to do to keep that roster spot night in and night out? A bout with the tough and bruising Florida Panthers will be his first test. Things won’t be much easier each time he faces the Vegas Golden Knights. There will be teams that Cagnoni doesn’t match up well against, but if he wants to prove he’s an NHL regular, the coaching staff should be able to play him in every game, not just the “lighter” teams.
Highlights
Admittedly, this is against the Anaheim Ducks’ AHL-ish team on Thursday night, but Cagnoni shows off his hockey IQ and his ability to read the play with this no-look pass to Igor Chernyshov.
Igor Chernyshov with his 2nd of the night!
— JD Young (@MyFryHole) September 25, 2026
5-0 #TurnItAllTeal pic.twitter.com/4t3OUB4o5O
And former Sharks’ defenseman and now Sharks’ analyst Jason Demers breaks down what he likes about Cagnoni’s game in this clip.
A lot to like from Luca Cagnoni last night!! Here are some of little things that impressed me in his game last night versus Nashville. I know he played 6 NHL games already so relax #thebite pic.twitter.com/tKhd9IuunG
— jason demers (@jasondemers5) April 15, 2026
2026 Top 25 Under 25 countdown … so far
12. Joshua Ravensbergen
13. Eric Pohlkamp
14. Quentin Musty
15. Filip Bystedt
16. Zack Ostapchuk
17. Leo Sahlin Wallenius
18. Cam Lund
19. Ethan Cardwell
20. Nolan Allan
21. Haoxi Wang
22. Cole McKinney
23. Carson Wetsch
24. Mattias Havelid
25. Christian Kirsch
Honorable Mentions: Joey Muldowney, Teddy Mutryn, Andre Gasseau, Brady Knowling and Alexander Karmanov
Editor’s Note: More than 100 people voted in our fan poll this year, though admittedly, not everyone filled out the entire form, i.e., all 25 spots and the honorable mentions. In some cases, some people filled out their top ten and left the rest blank. While it makes the math a bit harder, we found the fairest (and easiest) thing to do was average the scores based on the total responses received. While blank scores counted as zero, it didn’t seem to skew the results too badly. Ultimately, this isn’t an exact science, but I think you’ll find it’s a pretty good list.
