San Jose Sharks rookie Luca Cagnoni has turned heads with his play in the AHL this season, and now the 20-year-old is in the NHL.
The 5’9 d-man has defied the odds with his size and will make his NHL debut on Thursday, Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky confirmed on Tuesday.
But what do the experts of the game think of the prospect?
San Jose Sharks Broadcast Analyst Drew Remenda:
“High-level offensive instincts. He has good skating agility/edge work, which is shown in his ability to spin away from pressure. He can elude checkers and “walks” the blue line really well.”
“I wouldn’t say a great shot as in velocity, but it is accurate. He gets back to pucks quickly and is a concise first-pass player. A consistently strong puck mover.”
“I’m sure we both agree that he has great on-ice vision and IQ. I think initially, he will find the heavy defensive zone, NHL 50-50 pucks, and board play challenging. But he is smart enough to figure it out.”
Former Sharks Defenseman Jason Demers:
“Potential to run a PP1.”
Do you think he will be a full time NHLer?
“Not sure.”
What do you think he’ll do in his stint this season?
“Hopefully good. Nothing to lose. Just let it fly kiddo!”
Associate Editor & Prospect Analyst for Daily Faceoff Steven Ellis:
“Really skilled. Probably more than we first expected. Like any smaller defender, we’ll see what happens in the NHL, but the move to the Barracuda was really solid. Better than I expected.”
In his story about top late round draft steals from 2023 Ellis also wrote this about Cagnoni:
“When Cagnoni was selected, there were two glaring issues: 1) he was undersized at 5-foot-9, and B) he struggled in his own zone. But there were few players in that draft class that had the pure skill with the puck that Cagnoni possessed, and he used it to build out one of the most productive junior hockey careers we’ve seen from a WHL defender in quite some time.
From a style perspective, there’s a lot of Samuel Girard in Cagnoni’s game. He plays a smart, calculated game that doesn’t try to force plays to generate something. Cagnoni is evasive with the puck, using his quick footwork to get himself out of trouble. Scouts describe his skating as dynamic, with good edge work, start-stop control, and his ability to rush down at high speed as a puck-receiver or a playmaker. Cagnoni has been lights out this year in the AHL, where he’s on pace for more than 50 points as a 20-year-old rookie. We rarely see players of his stature in the NHL, but the rise of Lane Hutson might carve a path forward for Cagnoni.”
Shane Malloy Of Hockey Prospect Radio
“His game is based on deception, whether through his skating, puck skills, or hockey sense. Shows the ability to move the puck quickly and effectively from retrievals and in transition through the neutral zone. He can quarterback and powerplay and is highly adept at creating time and space and finding mismatches. His challenges will come from defending below the circles, as his size will be an issue, and his defensive habits will need to be consistently good to make up for his lack of size and range. He will need to break up plays early before he gets to the top of the circle in the defensive zone. A similar long-term projection to Scott Perunovich.”
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