Canoni proves that he belongs | San Jose pike

Nick Nollenberger ((@nicknollen)

Luca Cagnoni has been proving that his whole life belongs to his life, even if others don’t see it immediately.

All spent the first five months of his career at the AHL’s Barracuda, the 20-year-old put together one of the best offensive seasons for the Sharks’ Blue Line prospects – perhaps ever.

He leads the league with Powerball points (31), six ahead of the next closest player, second in Powerball assists (22) and fourth in Powerball goals (9). Among the defensemen, he ranks second in points (47) and second in goals (13).

It is unclear whether he will start his career this season in the fall, as he has the option to return to his junior team Portland Winterhawks. But as the Sharks camp unfolded, he kept on and was one of the final layoffs before the start of the season.

“We are open to Luca and know it’s hard to play in this league when we were 19,” Barracuda general manager Joe Will said in a January call with the media. “He played like his belongings, and that’s my turning point.”

It’s hard to imagine that he’s not always like this for a player with such a disgusting gift. But Burnaby, British Columbia, can determine the exact time, team and coach, which gave him a green light to play offensive games, unlocking one of the best parts of his game.

“I’m 13 years old… the coach is Leland Mack. He’s a big skill guy. This is my first year, as a defender, I’m doing skills every day, fine-tuning my game,” Kagnoni said. “I just did a lot of work and he started giving me a green light. That year I started calling and the goals and assists started coming. I just found my game there.”

“I think he might have given me too much honor,” said Cagnoni’s former coach Leland Mack. “The kids don’t want to hear what they can’t do these days; they want to hear what they can do. I told them, Luca and all the defenders told them, ‘You have to play defense, but you have to attack, too.’ So, I always push for that complete player.”

Even though hockey has become faster and more skilled, the scale remains a coveted commodity for the NHL organization, even in the case of Luca, even on the junior team.

Due to his size or lack, ft9, 180 lbs – a evaluator and coach put a cap on his career on glass. But what can be measured is his NHL caliber hockey sense and elite skating ability.

Cagnoni grew up in 20 minutes outside of Vancouver, dreaming of playing in the Western Hockey League (WHL). Despite his outstanding performance at Burnaby Winter Club, a program that produced numerous NHL stars, including Islander forward Mat Barzal and Oiler forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, as well as legends such as Paul Kariya and six-time Stanley Cup champion Glenn Anderson, who was not selected for the WHL.

The team loved his game, but in the five-foot-two or even 145 pound game, they hesitated.

“I was invited to two camps after I wasn’t selected – Winnipeg, and they were still Winnipeg and Spokane,” Cagnoni said. “I went to their camp and they basically said, ‘We’ll keep watching you.’ My first game of the season in U15, and I think Portland was there, they called me that night and started my season for a few months.

Due to Covid, the WHL team expanded its roster to open the door for Cagnoni, who have begun to consider the NCAA program. Since his eyes are still on the WHL, all he needs is opportunity.

“The way Portland plays allows such a defensive player to thrive,” Mike said. “It’s a perfect fit, and he’s very good there. Although I’m scouting for another team, I think I’ve probably told him, ‘This will be the perfect place for you.'”

As they say, the rest is history. He became Portland’s roster and quickly became a budding star in the league. He scored 17 goals in the 2023 draft year and added 47 assists in 67 games.

During Mike Grier’s tenure as Sharks general manager, the organization emphasized drafting large players. But there are exceptions.

“He thought the level of this game was incredible,” Sharks Player Development Todd Marchant said last summer at last development training camp. “He’s not the biggest player, but he has a strong lower half and his feet are strong.”

Last season, Cagnoni led all WHL defensemen with 90 points and 72 assists, tied for third with 18 goals in 65 games against Portland Winterhawks. He won recognition from the U.S. Division 1 All-Star team and became the first WHL Blueliner to reach the 90-point threshold since 1993-94, scoring nine points in the next constrained defender.

One might think that a smaller, offensively talented junior player needs to be successful in defense in order to succeed.

Of course, every player has to perfect his game, but Cagnoni has performed well on defense this season. His skating and hockey IQ allows him to break the game using angles and solid stick positioning. His spirit helped him avoid a major blow.

While some may be surprised by his defensive ability at the pro level, his former coach did not.

“That year, the U15 preparatory department was the best. That year, we had to play Connor Bedard six or seven times,” said Mike. “I never remember thinking or saying, ‘You have to defend better, Luca.’ Our team isn’t bruised or hard to fight, but if you have a good angle and stick positioning, you can separate the players from the hockey, that’s the ultimate goal.”

Vancouver is a hotbed of talent, so if you stand out, you may have a bright future. Cagnoni, one of three defensemen for his Burnaby Winter U15 team, will be selected to the NHL with Sharks forward Mackly Marklin Cheentrini’s older brother Mats Lindgren (Buffalo) and Aiden Celeanini (Vancouver).

NHL players (even the royal family of hockey) are not uncommon in the spring and summer. Mike even recalls one of the practices of seeing Scotty Bowman watch them from the stands.

As early as February, sports Ranked first in the Sharks’ prospect pool in the NHL. Canoni was listed as their fifth prospect, the top 11 players not selected in the first two rounds of the NHL draft.

The secret may be: The Sharks may have found something special in the 2023 fourth-round draft pick. With San Jose on sale on the trade deadline, Mike Grier has not ruled out the possibility of Cagnoni making her debut before the end of the season.

The Barracudas lead the league with Powers percentage (24.31%), with 56 power goals, higher than the team next door. Cagnoni has been at the heart of success and has created a season of teams, assists and points for defensive players.

“Deceptiveness – this is the first word he thought of,” said Barracuda head coach John McCarthy. “He was able to shake the defenders in breakthroughs or transitions, and he was able to create time and space with his own vision and skating in the offensive blue line (five-on-five) and power play.”

Despite skeptics, Cagnoni has proven that he can play on all levels of his career. Now, the next box to check is NHL.