San Jose, Calif.- For a smaller defenceman, Luca Cagnoni is used to playing a big game all the time.
The NHL is no exception.
Cagnoni led all San Jose Sharks defencemen in ice time in his NHL debut on Thursday night, finishing with an even rating, one shot, two blocks and a hit in 23:15 of ice time.
Though the Sharks fell to the hard-checking, high-scoring Carolina Hurricanes 3-1, it was an unforgettable night for the 20-year-old.
Making his NHL debut tonight, Luca Cagnoni becomes the first defenseman from the 2023 draft to appear in a NHL game. https://t.co/J6cngOkB0D
— San Jose Sharks PR (@SanJoseSharksPR) March 21, 2025
Cagnoni is the first defenceman selected in the 2023 NHL Draft to make his NHL debut.
“I wish I could tell you I expected it this year, but honestly, I didn’t,” Cagnoni said postgame. “Kind of came into the year hoping to get some (in the) AHL and see what happens… But it’s been a pretty unreal first year of pro.
“It’s another step, especially those guys (Carolina). They forecheck like hell. I mean, they play a hard game, and I expect every other team to be like that too. It’s just another step with the speed and how smart these guys are, it’s insane. So (I) definitely have to get up to that level.”
The Burnaby, B.C. product was drafted by the Sharks in 123rd overall in the fourth round in 2023.
His first year of professional hockey has seen him rack up 47 points (13G-34A) in 56 games with the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda.
He’s second in scoring on the Barracuda, third among all AHL defencemen and third among all AHL rookies.
Cagnoni also leads the league in powerplay points (31) while ranking second in powerplay assists (22).
At 5-foot-9, 180 pounds, Cagnoni has had to fight for every inch of ice his whole career.
https://twitter.com/TheAHL/status/1902850310109794547
After going undrafted to the WHL, he caught the eye of the Portland Winterhawks and was listed by the team going into the 2020-21 bubble season.
He never looked back, scoring 17 goals and 47 assists for 64 points in his draft season.
Cagnoni followed it up with a historic offensive season, becoming the first defenceman in the WHL to reach 90 points since 1993-94 (18G-72A) and putting up an impressive +47 rating through 65 regular season contests. He had 28 multi-point games, including a career-high one-goal, four-assist night against the Kamloops Blazers.
He picked up WHL U.S. Division First-Team All-Star honours before popping off for 13 points in 13 postseason matches, helping the Winterhawks reach the 2024 WHL Championship Series.
Cagnoni graduated from the WHL with 44 goals and 149 assists for 193 points in 205 regular-season matches.
He signed his three-year, entry-level contract with San Jose one week after the Championship wrapped.
The Sharks, which include former WHL Champion Noah Gregor and former Vancouver Giants Captain Zack Ostapchuk, continue an eight-game homestand on Saturday, March 22 when they host WHL graduates Mark Kastelic, Morgan Geekie and the Boston Bruins at 7:30 p.m. PST.
