San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) General Manager Mike Grier announced today that the club has signed defenseman Luca Cagnoni to a standard entry-level contract.
“Luca is an intelligent two-way defenseman with a strong playmaking skillset,” said Grier. “He had an impressive season individually for the Winterhawks, showcasing his ability to make plays on the offensive side of the puck while also being an effective player in his own zone. We are happy to have him a part of the organization.“
Cagnoni, 19, led Western Hockey League (WHL) defensemen with 90 points and 72 assists and finished tied for third among the group with 18 goals in 65 games with the Portland Winterhawks, earning U.S. Division First All-Star Team recognition. He was the first WHL blueliner since 1993-94 to reach the 90-point threshold and finished nine points clear of the next-closest defenseman in the positional scoring race. He recorded a career-best nine-game assist streak to open up the 2024 calendar year, collecting 18 points (three goals, 15 assists) from Jan. 5 through Jan. 27. He also registered one five point game on Nov. 8 (one goal, four assists), and three separate four-assist games along with 20 multi-assist games this year. Cagnoni earned WHL Player of the Week on Jan. 22 after tallying eight points in a four-game stretch and was named Sharks Prospect of the Week three times, Oct. 23, Mar. 20 and Apr. 3.
Cagnoni continued his strong two-way play throughout the postseason, finishing the WHL playoffs with a point-per-game scoring clip with 13 points (three goals, 10 assists) in 13 games, helping the Winterhawks finish as league runner-up. He finished the championship series with three assists in four games against Moose Jaw. He ranked tied for third among WHL defensemen in postseason assists, and was fifth in points.
Prior to being drafted, Cagnoni earned U.S. Division Second All-Star Team honors with 64 points (17 goals, 47 assists) in 67 games in the 2022-23 campaign. He finished with seven points (one goal, six assists) in nine playoff games that season. Over the course of his WHL career, he has recorded 193 points (44 goals, 149 assists) in 205 games, all with Portland.
The five-foot-nine, 183-pound native of Burnaby, British Columbia was selected by San Jose in the 2023 NHL Draft (fourth round, 123rd overall).
