Cagnoni has taken a small step back offensively in his second AHL season, posting seven goals and 35 points in 54 games on a Barracuda team that lost significant veteran scoring depth from last year. He is holding down a top-pairing role in the AHL at 21 and sitting at minus-3, which is respectable given the team’s overall struggles. The defensive side of the puck still needs work, which is the primary reason he has not yet made his NHL debut this season.

The offensive toolkit that made him one of the most talked-about AHL rookies in recent memory has not gone anywhere. With Eric Pohlkamp and Shakir Mukhamadullin and Cagnoni all pushing for a similar role, the competition is real, but Cagnoni’s power play upside gives him a well-defined advantage at least for consideration in a sheltered scoring role. He could stand to develop his shot even further to improve on an already elite offensive toolkit – a player like Mikhail Sergachev with his impressive ‘sifter’ would be a good model for Cagnoni to continue to build more layers into his offensive game.

While everyone looks at how incredible the pipeline for San Jose’s top-six is, Luca Cagnoni helped direct attention to the incredible blueline pipeline that also deserves the spotlight. Only turning 20 in December, Luca Cagnoni’s AHL rookie campaign was one of the best by a 20-year-old or younger in the AHL in years. Cagnoni’s 16 goals, 36 assists and 52 points in 64 games represented a 0.81 points-per-game pace, which is 5th best by a U21 defenseman in the AHL since 2009. This puts him ahead of seasons by Shea Theodore, Evan Bouchard, and Vince Dunn at age 20. He wasn’t just an assist machine; he was third in goals by pointmen in the AHL, and the two players ahead of him were much older, and one was a forward-eligible player. He gained power play experience, quarterbacking his way to 34 power-play points, and he could be but a few short seasons away from doing the same for the Sharks.

After a phenomenal 2023-24 WHL campaign, recording 90 points in 65 games, Cagnoni signed his entry-level contract in May. Likely starting the 2024-25 season in the AHL, Cagnoni boasts high-end offensive potential from the blue line and is someone fantasy owners should monitor this season.

Cagnoni was selected 123rd overall by the Sharks.