Luca Cagnoni Signs NHL Contract with San Jose Sharks
May 22, 2024 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Portland Winterhawks News Release
Portland, Ore. - The Portland Winterhawks Hockey Club is proud to announce today that defenseman Luca Cagnoni has signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League.
Cagnoni, 19, led all WHL defensemen with 90 points (18 goals, 72 assists) during the 2023-24 regular season, becoming the first blueliner to achieve 90 points in a season since the 1993-94 campaign. He also recorded 13 points in 13 postseason games during Portland's run to the WHL Championship.
Originally selected by the Sharks in the fourth round, #123 overall, of the 2023 NHL Draft in Nashville, Tenn., the 5-foot-9, 180-pound defenseman boasts a stunning 193 points (44 goals, 149 assists) in 205 career WHL games. He was named to the U.S. Division First All-Star Team in 2023-24 after appearing on the Second All-Star Team in 2022-23. Cagnoni ranks seventh in points (193), eighth in assists (149) and fifth in goals (44) among all-time Winterhawks defensemen, putting his name alongside standout alumni like Derrick Pouliot, Glen Wesley, Andrew Ference and more.
The Burnaby, B.C. native went undrafted in the WHL but signed with the Winterhawks ahead of the 2020-21 campaign. After a 10-game cameo that season, Cagnoni blossomed in his first full season with 36 points in 63 games and his first taste of playoff action in 2021-22. In 2022-23 - his first NHL Draft-eligible season - Cagnoni led Portland's defense with 64 points in 67 games before potting seven points in nine postseason contests. His offensive talent and the growth of his 200-foot game turned heads around the NHL as he heard his name called by San Jose later that summer.
He is eligible to return to the Winterhawks as a 20-year-old for the 2024-25 season at San Jose's discretion but will compete at the Sharks' training camp later this summer as he aims to begin his professional career.
Congratulations, Luca!
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