San Jose Sharks prospect Luca Cagnoni is having an incredible season and has just posted the best WHL season by a defenseman in the 21st century.

San Jose Sharks prospect Luca Cagnoni is having an incredible season and has just posted the best WHL season by a defenseman in the 21st century.

The Sharks' 2023 fourth-round pick, who plays for the Portland Winterhawks, has 87 points (16 goals, 71 assists) in 63 games.

He has had incredible highlight reel plays all season, including almost scoring a Michigan goal.

Cagnoni ranks third on the team in points and 17th across the entire WHL.

His elite skating and slick hands make him a top candidate to be a top offensive talent in the NHL. He continues to develop the rest of his game to become a more complete defenseman.

Sources close to Cagnoni have told THN that Sharks development coach Luca Sbisa has been working with Cagnoni throughout the season. There has been a positive relationship which has brought out the best in the young defenseman.

THN was told that Sbisa has provided Cagnoni with a strong but rewarding style of development.

He slipped in draft rankings due to his 5'9 stature, but that seemingly only motivated him to prove that size shouldn't matter. 

One player comparison could be Buffalo Sabres' defenseman Bowen Byram. Byram is also a product of the WHL and has never had a season like Cagnoni's. His career high in points was 71 in the 2018-19 season.

Byram was selected No. 4 overall by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2019 NHL Draft. He is slightly bigger than Cagnoni, listed at 6'1, but that hasn't stopped him from becoming a top-flight d-man in the NHL and Stanley Cup Champion. 

Byram was traded to Buffalo at the trade deadline and has found early success in an elevated role after no longer being behind Cale Makar on the depth chart.

Luca Cagnoni is eligible to sign an entry-level contract but hasn't done so yet. He remains under the Sharks' team control and could sign at a moment's notice. 

Make sure you bookmark THN's San Jose Sharks site for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more.

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