The Most Exciting Rookie Defenceman in Fantasy Hockey Nobody Is Talking About.
When Macklin Celebrini, the most exciting young centre in the NHL, says of his new teammate “he’ll help us a lot,” fantasy managers need to pay attention. When the head coach adds “when he’s got the puck, he’s got good poise with it” and the player himself walks into his first NHL season and logs 21:17 of ice time with a goal and a power play assist in game one, that is not a coincidence.
Luca Cagnoni is 22 years old, born in Burnaby, BC, drafted 123rd overall in 2023, a fourth round pick, and is already one of the most intriguing fantasy assets at the defenceman position in the entire league. The trajectory of his journey to this point is worth understanding because it explains exactly why the opportunity in front of him is so significant.
In the WHL with the Portland Winterhawks, Cagnoni became the first defenceman in 30 years to score 90 points in a single season, putting him in historical company ahead of players like Shea Theodore, Evan Bouchard, and Vince Dunn at the same age. He then went to the AHL and immediately became one of the most offensively gifted young defencemen in that league, posting 52 points in 64 games in 2024-25 at a 0.81 points-per-game pace, fifth best by a U21 defenceman in the AHL since 2009. He quarterbacked the San Jose Barracuda’s power play to a top-two AHL ranking in each of the past two seasons, personally contributing 23 power play points in 2025-26 alone.
The question heading into this season was not whether Cagnoni had the talent. The question was deployment, whether he would make the opening night roster and what his role would look like if he did. Both questions were answered emphatically before the season even started. Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky confirmed Cagnoni as the top unit power play quarterback during training camp. General manager Mike Grier told him personally he had made the opening night roster during the team’s final preseason trip.
Game one backed every word of it. He averaged 21:17 of ice time, top-pairing minutes, scored a goal, added a power play assist, and blocked three shots. His deployment in the offensive zone alongside Celebrini, Will Smith, and Igor Chernyshov on the first power play unit gives him access to the most talented young offensive group in the Pacific Division every single time his team has the man advantage.
The risk is real and worth naming honestly. He is 5-foot-9 and 180 pounds, undersized by NHL standards, and the defensive side of his game is acknowledged by scouts as still developing. Sam Dickinson is also on this roster and could challenge for power play time as the season progresses. And San Jose was 16th in power play efficiency last season, meaning the opportunity is significant but the infrastructure around him is still being built.
But here is the rest of season reality: a 22-year-old power play quarterback with elite offensive instincts, top-pairing ice time confirmed in game one, and a forward group in front of him that includes Celebrini, Smith, and Stenberg, three of the most exciting young players in the game. At 19% rostered, the fantasy market has not caught up to what game one confirmed.
It will. Get there first.
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