Sharks Locker Room: 3 Things That I Liked About Cagnoni’s NHL Debut

We have to remember to grade Luca Cagnoni’s NHL debut on a curve.

He’s a 20-year-old defenseman, the hardest position to learn in the NHL, playing his first game against the Carolina Hurricanes, arguably the most ferocious forecheck in the league.

I get there’s a lot of excitement for his debut, given his show-stopping rookie AHL campaign so far. The 2023 fourth-round pick is second among all AHL defensemen with 47 points.

But the AHL isn’t the NHL, as Cagnoni saw first-hand in a 3-1 San Jose Sharks’ defeat.

That said, there are three things that I liked about Cagnoni’s NHL debut.

More of these three positives, and less of the negatives — the 5-foot-9 defender was frustrated by the big bad Canes’ forecheck and was bodied at times — and he’s going to be just fine. No player is perfect, you’re just looking for, big picture, a consistent net positive effect on games.

Puck Poise

Cagnoni doesn’t panic with the puck on his stick, and we saw that even in a challenging debut.

This was probably my favorite Cagnoni play tonight and represents what makes him potentially great.

Cagnoni (42) picks up the puck along the wall, Mark Jankowski (77) bearing down. Perhaps the obvious pass is a backhand to Will Smith (2), but Eric Robinson (50) can smell that a mile away.

But Cagnoni, patient with the puck, draws Jankowski to him, then puts it off the glass with touch, beating Tyson Jost (27) along the wall and Jalen Chatfield (5). This goes against the grain of the Carolina forecheck, sending them scrambling, Frederik Andersen is forced to play the puck, and a good-bad bounce off the face of a forechecking Barclay Goodrow (23) leads to a Carl Grundstrom (91) chance.

Goodrow was okay, and Cagnoni’s smarts and cool with the puck created a scoring chance out of thin air.

Execution With Puck

Cagnoni was not clean with puck tonight, but you’d expect him to improve on that once he shakes off the obvious NHL debut nerves.

Plays like this one should become routine:

Cagnoni delivers a perfect bounce stretch pass to Alex Wennberg (21) in stride, which leads to a perfect Sharks’ entry.

Any hiccup in this pass gives the Canes’ backcheckers more time to recover.

Of course, any NHL defenseman should be able to make this pass more times than not, but you’d expect a puck-mover like Cagnoni to execute this pass flawlessly nine out of 10 times, which should boost the Sharks’ transition attack.

Stick Detail

The smallish Cagnoni isn’t going to make a name for himself in the NHL because of his defense, but he’s got to be as close to average to possible at it. Great offense, average defense, that’s a net positive.

The question is, can Luca Cagnoni turn his stick into a defensive weapon?

“The big thing is he’s gonna have to have a really good stick. Stick detail is gonna be important,” San Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky said. “When he goes into a guy that’s 6-foot-4, not being overly aggressive, and keeping people to the outside, it’s a lot about angles. It’s gonna be a lot about angles and leverage on some of these bigger guys.”

Cagnoni’s stick (and underrated footwork) disrupts the still-dangerous Taylor Hall (71) three times.

Hall, behind the net, is forced to abandon a forehand pass out by Cagnoni’s stick.

Then Cagnoni is able to stick the puck away from Hall in the corner.

Finally, up high, Hall is forced into a D-to-D pass by the persistent Cagnoni.

Cagnoni will have to graduate to killing plays with his stick, but this was a good start.

He’s a willing defender, he competes, which is half the battle.

Overall, it was a promising debut for Cagnoni against a tough opponent.

It’s good to remember too: Last year, when Cagnoni was tearing up the WHL, did anybody expect him to be in the NHL just one season later?

He’s got a lot to improve, but he’s also getting better quickly.

Ryan Warsofsky

Warsofsky, on Shakir Mukhamadullin:

I thought Muk was outstanding tonight. We’re seeing some real growth over these last two, three weeks since the 4 Nations break there.

He’s getting more comfortable [beating the F1]. He’s come a long way here in a little bit. He’s a puck-moving guy, can make plays, and now we’re starting to see that a little bit.

Warsofsky, on Carl Grundstrom’s performance:

I thought he was good. I’m gonna go back and watch it. But blocks a big shot and in the second, did some good things in the forecheck. He’s a guy that’s playing for his life, so it’s good to see.

Warsofsky, on Luca Cagnoni and Georgi Romanov’s games:

I thought Romy was good. I thought Luca, the game started slowing down for him in the second and third period. Georgi, I thought, was solid. I don’t know about the third one, but have to go back and watch if he was screened or not. But I thought Luca obviously helps in a puck-moving standpoint.

He’s trying [defensively], right? I think it was [Taylor] Hall down here in the third period, he tries to close on him quickly. So you can tell he’s been working on it.

Warsofsky, on William Eklund:

He was good tonight. I thought he was into the game, he was engaged, he was moving pucks, he was skating with the puck, he was good tonight.

Luca Cagnoni

Cagnoni, on making his NHL debut:

It’s pretty surreal. Definitely where I started my career, like not getting drafted in the [WHL]. It’s a pretty special moment, even for my family. Probably them the most, to see me go through it, and then being by my side. It’s pretty special to have them here.

I definitely put in a lot of work in the summer. I wish I could tell you I expected it this year, but honestly, I didn’t, kind of came into the year, hoping to get some AHL and see what happens. But it’s been a pretty unreal first-year pro.

Shakir Mukhamadullin

Mukhamadullin, on the Seth Jarvis goal:

First of all, we have a chance to move the puck out from the zone, from the faceoff, so make a turnover, and after [that], I make a turnover. And they scored. Happens when you make a mistake.

Mukhamadullin, on if the Hurricanes’ forecheck is the most aggressive in the NHL:

I’ve just play against 10-15 teams, so I don’t know, but for right now, for me, probably, yeah.

William Eklund

Eklund, on attacking the middle of the ice more tonight:

That has to be my game more, where I got to drive the net more. I got to be around the net more.

Eklund, on when he knew he scored:

I had no clue it went in. Strangest goal I ever scored, I think. But yeah, those count. Lucky there.