A lot of ink has been spilled on just how incredible San Jose’s forward prospects are and how shrewd an acquisition Yaroslav Askarov is for the team’s future in net. But perhaps the most underrated part of the pool is the team’s defensive core, with a good amount of high-end talent flying under the radar.
Luca Cagnoni might be the best example of this. A diminutive offensive dynamo, Cagnoni’s size has obscured his absurdly productive play and his sky-high potential. But with an entry-level contract now signed and a big opportunity in the AHL awaiting him, a good season could vault him up the rankings of every scout in the game.
Position: Defense
Height: 5-foot-9
Weight: 183 lbs.
Age: 19
Date of Birth: Dec 21, 2004
Draft Year: 2023 (123rd overall by the San Jose Sharks)
Shoots: Left
2024-25 Team: San Jose Barracuda
What we like
The single best predictor of how a player will do in the professional leagues is their age-adjusted production on the ice. By any measure, Cagnoni nets an incredibly high rating on this metric — in his draft season, he put up 64 points in 67 games on the Winterhawks, and in his post-draft year, he led all defensemen in scoring in the WHL, with 90 points in 65 games.
Cagnoni is pure dynamite on the power-play and could probably do a serviceable job on an NHL team’s second unit next year itself. With a full year to blossom in the AHL and plenty of ice time available, there’s no telling what he might be capable of, especially with a better team around him than the one the Barracuda iced last season.
Scouts remain skeptical, given his size (only a few 5’9” defensemen have ever been successful in the NHL), and the concerns are fair given the increased physicality at the NHL level. Cagnoni is as boom-or-bust a pick as they come. But for a fourth-rounder, it is exactly the type of profile you want to gamble on, and the defenseman has proved scouts wrong every step of the way, including a standout showing at the NHL Prospects Showcase. It may not be worth betting against him now.
Areas of improvement
Cagnoni’s size will always remain a knock against him, but his defensive play could use a bit of improvement as well. Given his frame, everything else needs to be near-perfect for Cagnoni to earn trust and ice time from coaches. While his play in his own end and his compete certainly don’t seem to be lacking, they’re also not exceptional either — he isn’t an elite skater, for one, and it remains to be seen whether he’ll be able to protect the puck as well as he did in juniors against more physically-imposing opposition.
What’s Next?
Along with other star Sharks prospects, Cagnoni has the opportunity to earn a prominent role with the Barracuda this year. If everything breaks right for him, he may be able to earn some NHL ice time towards the end of the season as well.
Highlight
Cagnoni receives a pass, dangles a defender out of his shorts, and snipes one past the goalie before anyone can figure out what’s happening, showing off his hands, smarts, and nose for the net in the process.
