Nothing about the NHL background of Luca Cagnoni suggests a player who would be an overtime hero on offense for the San Jose Sharks.
He’s a 5-foot-9 defenseman who was drafted in the fourth round four years ago.
Still just 21, he is a promising young player, but through his first nine NHL games, he had not scored a goal and had dished out just two assists.
The Sharks brought Cagnoni with them on their season-opening roster, but that was for him to be a contributor along the blue line. The goals would be left to the young stars up front, led by Macklin Celebrini.
But then in overtime on Thursday night, as the Sharks began their season at home against the veteran Florida Panthers, Cagnoni found himself in on goal.
Cagnoni, even if the on-paper pedigree didn’t suggest it, scored the overtime game-winning goal.
His face in the picture above, as he rushes to embrace Will Smith, says it all.
He may have been improbable, but Cagnoni did indeed get to play hero on Thursday night.
Luca Cagnoni Makes History
By scoring that goal, Cagnoni made history.
He became the first Sharks player to score his first goal as an overtime winner.
Luca Cagnoni
First player in #SJSharks history to score his first career NHL goal in Overtime
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) October 2, 2026
There’s obviously something special about an overtime goal. It ends the game right there. It prompts immediate celebrations.
As a defenseman, it’s unlikely that Cagnoni would’ve dreamed of scoring a close-range OT winner in an NHL uniform. It’s just not a scenario that comes up a lot.
But overtime these days is different. The ice becomes quite wide open with fewer players on it. It does create opportunities.
And for young players to last in the NHL, sometimes they simply have to seize the moment.
That’s exactly what Cagnoni did.
And for what it’s worth, he also had an assist earlier in the game. It was quite the way for him to begin the season.
Luca Cagnoni Background
Cagnoni does have some background of scoring goals in his past.
He was a WHL star for the Portland Winterhawks. In 2022-23, he had 17 goals and 47 assists in 67 games, and then in 2023-24, he had 18 goals and 72 assists in 65 games.
He also scored 16 goals with 36 assists with the AHL San Jose Barracuda in 2024-25, before going for eight goals and 35 assists for the Barracuda last season.
Still, he hadn’t done it in the NHL yet, and so until he did, there would’ve been doubts — particularly about a guy who wasn’t a high draft pick.
Now, though, Cagnoni is more than his draft status. He’s a proven clutch player in the NHL. He’s got something great to build on.
Sharks’ Luca Cagnoni Makes Hockey History