The San Jose Barracuda's strength bodes well for the Sharks' future
The San Jose Sharks aren’t exiting their rebuilding phase just yet, but they have already amassed a significant portion of their future talent. One look at their affiliated AHL club will confirm the depth and strength of their prospect pool. Not only are the San Jose Barracuda’s top scorers all 21 and under, but all four of them could aspire to roles with the Sharks.
In terms of organizational health, there aren’t many better signs than this.
Quentin Musty, Igor Chernyshov, Filip Bystedt, and Luca Cagnoni have pushed the team’s offence so far this season and their club up the AHL standings. A few spots behind them on the leaderboard, Kasper Halttunen has also carved himself a niche, contributing on the scoresheet, while playing more limited minutes.
Here, we’ll review the development of all five of these prospects.
Luca Cagnoni, LD
There are roles for diminutive defencemen like Cagnoni in the NHL. To grab one of them, however, he will have to continue to prove that he’s not only a top power play candidate, but by far the best one in the organization.
Just like Lane Hutson in Montreal, Cagnoni can dance against defenders at the point. They skate at him, trying to close his space, but get beaten by a weight shift or head fake, followed by a couple of explosive lateral steps. What stands out most when watching him operate at the blue line is his ability to handle the puck in tight spaces, passing it under or around sticks, and keeping the offence alive with quick, short passes. Away from the puck, he’s constantly activating in gaps, creating 2-on-1s and 3-on-2s, and giving cross-ice, low-to-high, and backdoor options to teammates.
His game would likely shine even more playing alongside creative, perceptive teammates like Will Smith and Macklin Celebrini. Already in the AHL, his shifts with the Barracuda's best line (Chernyshov, Musty, and Bystedt) have been filled with highlights.
Despite his best efforts, however, opponents can make plays around him with more ease than most. To get to a top-four NHL role or at least an offensive specialist one, Cagnoni will have to become a more difficult player to play against. That means locking down the neutral zone even more, gapping early and angling so perfectly that he’s forcing opponents to get rid of the puck before he has to engage in a wall battle.
Cagnoni’s chance at an NHL role remains slim, but his continued AHL success gives us hope that he will prove his worth.
Igor Chernyshov, LW
Chernyshov is becoming a battering ram, not unlike the similarly built Leo Carlsson in Anaheim. They both had skating concerns in their draft years, lacking fine agility and explosiveness out of a change of direction, but those elements don’t matter for their games. Give Chernyshov a runway of space, and he can now drive through and around defenders, carry the puck in, and fire a heavy in-stride shot.
There’s also a deceptive element in his passing. He’s challenging and freezing defenders with feints, reading teammates’ intentions, and linking up with them for creative plays. These abilities are why he was able to fit so well in the Saginaw Spirit’s free-flowing system in the OHL and why he built such impressive chemistry with Michael Misa.
In his best moments, it’s so easy to picture Chernyshov playing in the Sharks’ top-six, complementing the second overall pick again in a turquoise jersey. To get there, he will have to become more efficient, reducing turnovers and relying more on his hockey sense to drive the play.
Quentin Musty, LW
There’s so much upside in Musty’s game. Operating with a rare craftiness, he’s hooking and slipping pucks around defenders, making plays instantly on first touch, and dangling through sticks. Not only is he deceptive, but many of his moves seem planned ahead. He’s shifting left or right to open lanes, feinting a pass to make another more dangerous one, and he’s constantly rotating to complement the play, popping in space at the right time for shots.
Just like Chernyshov, his game remains inefficient. There are just as many great plays as turnovers in some games, but his vision, playmaking ability, and stickhandling skills are second to none in the AHL and highly NHL projectable.
For him, it’s all about developing more of a B-game.
His plays won’t always connect in the NHL. He will have to learn to better manage risk, avoiding pulling the trigger on low-percentage plays, and improve his defensive and checking skills to remain effective most shifts.
Musty has top-six calibre skills. The best way to increase his value as a prospect, and his chance of reaching a top NHL spot, would be to develop the physical side of his game even more.
Filip Bystedt, C
Paired with Musty and Chernyshov, Bystedt has been the least flashy of his teammates, instead focusing on playing a stronger positional centre game.
In theory, his stature and mobility should make him a hard player to face in the defensive zone, as he’s both capable of anchoring attackers to a spot and shutting down lanes with his range. But to become a better defensive stopper, Bystedt will have to work on his reads away from the puck, switching coverages faster when needed, plugging holes in his team’s system, and picking up attackers driving him.
His speed and short-passing game have made him an appropriate complement to his two more creative wingers. As both enjoy controlling the puck and making plays, however, Bystedt isn’t getting as many chances to orchestrate himself. Instead, he’s picking up points much like he would in the NHL in his projected bottom-six role, by supporting the play, creating quick transition passing plays, carrying the occasional puck, and attacking inside.
If Bystedt can refine his defensive game further, he could provide depth to a Sharks team that could use players with his skill set.
Kasper Halttunen, RW
With improved speed, Halttunen’s forechecking game is becoming more effective. He engages opponents, using his range to disrupt plays, help teammates defensively, seal loose pucks from the opposition, and make passes off the wall. But while he has the stature to play a power forward game, he still needs to refine his physical skills, becoming a better battler, puck protector, and at escaping scrums with the puck.
Halttunen’s shot continues to be the best part of his game. He can hammer all passes sent his way, contorting his body to hit them with remarkable power and placing the puck in just the right spot to beat the goalie. We’re not seeing him chain these releases with the Barracuda as much as he did in the OHL, but they remain NHL-quality weapons.
The rest of his game is coming along, but Halttunen will need to develop more into a true power forward to earn a bigger role with the Barracuda and position himself for a top-nine, powerplay spot in the future.
