Cagnoni, Klassen, Špunar and Stefan named U.S. Division All-Stars
Calgary, Alta. – The Western Hockey League today announced the 2023-24 Divisional All-Star teams, naming Winterhawks defenseman Luca Cagnoni, forward Gabe Klassen and goaltender Jan Špunar to the U.S. Division First All-Star Team and forward James Stefan to the U.S. Division Second All-Star Team.
Cagnoni, 19, is coming off of a remarkable campaign in which he posted 90 points – the first WHL defenseman to do so since Shane Peacock in the 1993-94 season. The San Jose Sharks 2023 draft pick recorded career highs across the board with 18 goals and 72 assists to make up his aforementioned 90 points, and was named the team’s Best Defensive Player alongside Marek Alscher during the team’s awards ceremony last Saturday.
From the WHL’s announcement:
Passed over in the WHL Draft, the 19-year-old prospect of the San Jose Sharks is a poster boy for perseverance after leading all WHL defencemen in scoring with an eye-popping 90 points (18G-72A) in 65 games this season. The 5-foot-9, 180-pound blueliner was recognized as Tempo WHL Player of the Week on January 22, 2024. Selected by the Sharks in the fourth round (123rd overall) of the 2023 NHL Draft, the product of Burnaby, B.C., has tallied 193 points (44G-149A) in 205 career WHL Regular Season games.
Hot take but watching Luca Cagnoni play hockey is really fun pic.twitter.com/yrd5U6VQsP
— Portland Winterhawks (@pdxwinterhawks) March 13, 2024
Klassen, 20, served as team captain for the second consecutive season and led the Hawks in scoring with 106 points (35G, 71A) in 67 games. The Prince Albert, Sask. native concluded the regular-season portion of his WHL career with 118 goals, 147 assists and 265 points in 248 games. Klassen was named the team’s MVP during Saturday’s award ceremony,
From the WHL’s announcement:
The 20-year-old product of Prince Albert, Sask., was one of 10 WHL players to surpass the 100-point plateau in 2023-24, recording 106 points (35G-71A) in 67 games. The Winterhawks captain was named Tempo WHL Player of the Week on November 13, 2023. From December 8, 2023 through January 19, 2024, Klassen enjoyed a 15-game point streak, notching 29 points (7G-22A) along the way. Originally selected by the Winterhawks in the first round (19th overall) of the 2018 WHL Draft, the 5-foot-10, 178-pound centre has secured 265 points (118G-147A) in 248 career WHL Regular Season games.
Make that 101 points for Gabe Klassen! pic.twitter.com/udRE09yB9O
— Portland Winterhawks (@pdxwinterhawks) March 10, 2024
Špunar, 19, posted a dominant 25 wins in 35 appearances this season with a .913 save percentage and 2.12 GAA. He also earned his first two career regular-season shutouts and strung together two separate seven-game winning streaks. Despite missing over two months due to injury, the Olomouc, Czechia native enjoyed a career year during his second season in the Rose City.
From the WHL’s announcement:
The 19-year-old product of Olomouc, Czechia, finished his second WHL season with a record of 25-6-2-1, including a 2.12 goals-against average, .913 save percentage and two shutouts. The 6-foot-3, 199-pound puckstopper was named Giuseppe WHL Goaltender of the Week on October 16, 2023. Originally selected by the Winterhawks in the first round (52nd overall) of the 2022 CHL Import Draft, Spunar owns a career record of 42-13-4-2 with a 2.35 GAA, .910 SV% and two shutouts.
JAN ŠPUNAR. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/4dcxQ3yIeX
— Portland Winterhawks (@pdxwinterhawks) October 28, 2023
WHL U.S. Division First All-Star Team
Goaltender – Jan Špunar (Olomouc, Czechia) – Portland Winterhawks
Defense – Graham Sward (Abbotsford, B.C.) – Wenatchee Wild
Defense – Luca Cagnoni (Burnaby, B.C.) – Portland Winterhawks
Forward – Berkly Catton (Saskatoon, Sask.) – Spokane Chiefs
Forward – Gabe Klassen (Prince Albert, Sask.) – Portland Winterhawks
Forward – Kenta Isogai (Nagano, Japan) – Wenatchee Wild
Stefan, 20, achieved career-best numbers in goals (50), assists (51), points (101) and +/- (+47) during the 2023-24 campaign. The Laguna Beach, Calif. native also put pen to paper on an NHL contract with the Edmonton Oilers last week as an undrafted free agent, becoming the fourth member of Portland’s 2023-24 roster to sign an NHL contract. During the Winterhawks’ team awards ceremony last Saturday, Stefan was named the team’s Most Popular Player, as voted on by the Portland Winterhawks Booster Club.
From the WHL’s announcement:
The 20-year-old prospect of the Edmonton Oilers surpassed the 100-point plateau this season, registering his first 50-goal season and adding 51 assists. With 101 points, Stefan finished tied for ninth among all WHL skaters, becoming the first Winterhawk to record 50 goals and 100 points since Joachim Blichfeld in 2018-19.
Passed over in both the NHL and WHL Drafts, Stefan signed a WHL Scholarship and Development Agreement with the Winterhawks in November 2018. From there, he went on to score 256 points (111G-145A) in 254 career WHL Regular Season games en route to signing a free agent contract with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers on March 21, 2024.
THAT'S 5️⃣0️⃣ FOR THE CHEF‼️ 👨🍳 pic.twitter.com/JoSmMBkp2p
— Portland Winterhawks (@pdxwinterhawks) March 25, 2024
The full 2024 U.S. Division Second All-Star Team can be found below.
WHL U.S. Division Second All-Star Team
Goaltender – Scott Ratzlaff (Irma, Alta.) – Seattle Thunderbirds
Defense – Jeremy Hanzel (Coquitlam, B.C.) – Seattle Thunderbirds
Defense – Sawyer Mynio (Kamloops, B.C.) – Seattle Thunderbirds
Forward – James Stefan (Laguna Beach, Calif.) – Portland Winterhawks
Forward – Ben Hemmerling (Sherwood Park, Alta.) – Everett Silvertips
Forward – Conner Roulette (Winnipeg, Man.) – Spokane Chiefs
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