NHL Prospect Watch: San Jose Sharks
Ahead of the 2024-25 hockey season, we’re diving into the WHL prospect pool for each of the NHL’s 32 teams. Throughout the series, we’ll highlight WHLers who have been signed to an NHL contract, were recently drafted, or are included in the NHL’s definition of a rookie.
Today, we check in on the San Jose Sharks, who have selected four WHLers at the NHL Entry Draft in the past two years.
Luca Cagnoni
Portland Winterhawks defenceman Luca Cagnoni dazzled fans in 2023-24 with a historic offensive season. The 19-year-old led all WHL blueliners with 90 points (18 goals, 72 assists) and an impressive +47 rating through 65 regular-season contests. He’s the first defender in the league to reach the 90-point plateau since 1993-94, earning WHL U.S. Division First Team All-Star Honours. His 72 assists also ranked third among all WHL skaters. The Burnaby, B.C. product had 28 multi-point matches, highlighted by a career-best one goal- four assists night against Kamloops in November. Standing 5-foot-9 and 180 pounds, Cagnoni continued his strong play in the postseason, despite suffering an injury that held him out of the bulk of the WHL Western Conference Championship against Prince George. The Winterhawks would still advance to the WHL Championship against Moose Jaw, where the 2023 fourth-round pick added three assists, tying Detroit Red Wings prospect Nate Danielson for the most points by a Portland player in the series. Despite falling short of the league title, Cagnoni still earned quite a prize, signing his three-year, entry-level contract with San Jose one week later.
Luca Cagnoni's already got his third goal of the #WHLPlayoffs!@pdxwinterhawks | #SJSharks pic.twitter.com/WVnfcBQ4x8
— The WHL (@TheWHL) March 31, 2024
Gannon Laroque
20-year-old Defenceman Gannon Laroque was eligible to return to the WHL this year but instead made the jump to the pro ranks. Recovering from a second hip surgery, Laroque kicked off his campaign with the ECHL’s Wichita Thunder, picking up a pair of assists in nine games. The 6-foot-2, 201-pound blueliner was called up to the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda, where he tallied a goal and an assist in another nine matches. A 2021 fourth-round pick of the Sharks, Laroque impressed the following season with a breakout 10-goal, 42-assist campaign with the Victoria Royals, snagging a spot on the B.C. Division First All-Star Team and making his pro debut with the Barracuda that spring.
Gannon Laroque with his first AHL goal! 🚨 pic.twitter.com/K6jV4xqYvI
— SJ Barracuda (@sjbarracuda) April 21, 2024
Nate Misskey
Our second Victoria Royal on the list, Nate Misskey heard his name called in the fifth round of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. It was a long time coming for the 6-foot-4, 209-pound right-shot defenceman, who was passed over in his first year of draft eligibility. The 19-year-old Royals alternate captain is coming off a career-best season that saw him pot seven goals and 27 assists for 34 points and a +11 rating in 44 games, including an impressive six-game points streak that saw him add seven helpers to kick off the season and a one-goal, two-assist showing in 5-4 win over the Spokane Chiefs in October. Misskey’s goal would stand as the overtime winner as the Royals scored four unanswered goals to close out the match. The Melfort, Sask. product picked up another goal and three assists in four postseason matches against the Portland Winterhawks.
🎥NATE MISSKEY – HIGHLIGHT REEL🎥
Never misses a step, never misses a key.@victoriaroyals | #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/KmNY6lQDT0
— The WHL (@TheWHL) June 17, 2024
Colton Roberts
Six-foot-4, 200-pound right-shot blueliners don’t grow on trees. Still, San Jose picked up two in one draft. The Sharks selected Colton Roberts in the fifth round in Las Vegas. The Vancouver Giants sophomore racked up seven goals and 20 assists for 27 points in 62 games, including a match against Everett that saw him score twice in three minutes. Roberts also notched a highlight-worthy pair of assists at the 2024 Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game. The Langley, B.C. product added another assist in five postseason contests as Vancouver bowed out in the first round against the Silvertips. Having grown significantly over the past few years, Roberts hopes to use his size to his advantage in his third full WHL season and help the Giants push toward a deep playoff run.
🎥COLTON ROBERTS – HIGHLIGHT REEL🎥
Live from The Sphere, it’s ‘The Big Fella.’@WHLGiants | #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/LZ3a9JLpbS
— The WHL (@TheWHL) June 19, 2024
Tristen Robins
Former Saskatoon Blades alternate captain Tristen Robins was expected to take on a bigger role with the Barracuda in his second professional season but a nagging injury held him out of the lineup until late December. After finding his footing again, Robins ended up with seven goals and 11 assists for 18 points in 42 contests. 11 of those points came in the month of March, highlighted by a stretch that saw him net two goals and five assists in seven games, and burying the overtime winner in the regular-season finale against the Tuscon Roadrunners. Originally selected in the second round of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, the 5-foot-11, 185-pound forward made his NHL debut with the Sharks last season, getting into three matches with the big club. The Clear Lake, Man. product played parts of five seasons with the Saskatoon Blades (plus a single match with the Regina Pats as a rookie), piling up 85 goals and 115 assists for 200 points and a +32 rating in 212 regular-season games.
🔥TRISTEN ROBINS WITH THE OVERTIME WINNER 🔥
What a way to finish the season😎 pic.twitter.com/OhnYpR0XyI
— SJ Barracuda (@sjbarracuda) April 21, 2024
Carson Wetsch
Power forward Carson Wetsch was a tantalizing pick for San Jose in the second round of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft- enough so that the club traded the 85th overall pick and a sixth-round selection to move up to select him. The Calgary Hitmen standout netted a career-best 25 goals (including two game-winners) and 25 assists for 50 points in 67 tilts in 2023-24. Wetsch put up his first WHL hat trick against the Edmonton Oil Kings in February and finished third in goals and tied for fourth in points on his squad. A 6-foot-2, 202-pound winger, Wetsch was an alternate captain for Team Canada at the 2024 IIHF World U18 Championship in May, where he added a pair of goals, an assist and a +5 rating through six games en route to a gold medal in Finland. He previously helped his home country clinch gold at the 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
To steal a quote from a great man…
Carson Wetsch's goal is a ring-a-ding-dong-dandy!@WHLHitmen | #2024NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/1h5S0eyhOw
— The WHL (@TheWHL) March 9, 2024
