Joe Cannata
Joe Cannata | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 2, 1990 Wakefield, Massachusetts, United States |
| Occupation | Professional ice hockey goaltender |
| Known for | Playing for Norfolk Admirals in the ECHL; drafted by Vancouver Canucks |
Joe Cannata (born January 2, 1990) is a professional ice hockey goaltender from the United States, currently playing for the Norfolk Admirals in the ECHL. He was chosen 173rd overall in the sixth round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft by the Vancouver Canucks following his freshman year at Merrimack College, where he participated in 23 games. On the international stage, Cannata represented Team USA at the World Under-18 Championship held in Kazan, Russia.
Amateur
Cannata’s high school hockey tenure took place at Boston College High School, where he played a pivotal role in securing the team’s second straight Super Eight Championship during his junior year. Subsequently, he earned an invitation to try out for the U-18 US NTDP, and later committed to Merrimack College competing in the Hockey East Conference.
He made his collegiate debut on October 18, 2008, facing off against Army, where he achieved a shutout with 44 saves—becoming the first goaltender in Merrimack’s history to record a shutout in his first game. Throughout his junior and senior seasons, Cannata was acknowledged as one of Hockey East’s elite goaltenders. He played an instrumental role in guiding Merrimack to the NCAA tournament that year, finishing his college career with a program-record 59 wins at the Division I level and securing 25 victories during that standout season.
Professional
Cannata inked an entry-level contract with the Vancouver Canucks on March 21, 2012. Shortly after, on April 2, 2012, he signed an amateur try-out agreement with Vancouver’s AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves. He made his professional debut on April 15 by making 38 saves in a 4–2 victory over the Peoria Rivermen. Due to playoff eligibility rules, his tryout contract concluded on April 16. Later that year, Cannata returned to Merrimack to finish his business studies. He was recalled by the Vancouver Canucks on April 25, 2013.
As a free agent on July 1, 2016, Cannata departed from Vancouver and secured a one-year, two-way contract with the Washington Capitals. During the 2016–17 season, he was assigned to their AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears, where he won 11 out of 22 games before being sent down to the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays in February 2017. At the NHL trade deadline that season, Cannata was traded to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Cody Corbett and was placed with their AHL team, the San Antonio Rampage, providing experienced depth.
Cannata re-signed a one-year, two-way deal with Colorado on July 1, 2017. Early in the following season (2017–18), he traveled with the Avalanche for games held in Sweden against the Ottawa Senators, before being reassigned to their ECHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles. There, Cannata posted a league-leading .931 save percentage along with 21 wins across 28 appearances, contributing significantly to the Eagles’ capture of their second straight Kelly Cup championship.
On July 2, 2018, Cannata agreed to another one-year extension with Colorado. During the 2018–19 campaign, he mainly competed with ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies, tallying 17 wins over 40 games.
Seeking opportunities abroad on May 17, 2019, Cannata signed a one-year contract with Sweden’s HockeyAllsvenskan club IF Björklöven. As a free agent on August 6, 2020, he secured a two-year contract with Swedish top-tier team IK Oskarshamn. Over three seasons with Oskarshamn, Cannata appeared in 94 games and amassed 42 victories.
Following completion of his contract in Sweden, Cannata joined German DEL outfit Löwen Frankfurt on a one-year deal announced June 9, 2023. After spending one season competing in Germany’s premier league, he returned to North America by signing with the ECHL’s Norfolk Admirals for the upcoming 2024–25 season on November 1, 2024.
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | T/OT | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | GP | W | L | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | ||
| 2007–08 | U.S. National Team Development Program | U-18 | 29 | 16 | 14 | 1 | 1781 | 76 | 1 | 2.56 | .899 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | U.S. National Team Development Program | NAHL | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 307 | 12 | 0 | 2.35 | .914 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | Merrimack College | HE | 23 | 7 | 10 | 4 | 1353 | 53 | 2 | 2.35 | .918 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Merrimack College | HE | 24 | 10 | 13 | 1 | 1362 | 69 | 1 | 3.04 | .902 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | Merrimack College | HE | 39 | 25 | 10 | 4 | 2251 | 93 | 1 | 2.48 | .911 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 2011–12 | Merrimack College | HE | 36 | 17 | 12 | 7 | 2182 | 79 | 2 | 2.17 | .925 | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| 2011–12 | Chicago Wolves | AHL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 2 | 0 | 2.00 | .950 | ||||||||||
| 2012–13 | Kalamazoo Wings | ECHL | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 419 | 23 | 0 | 3.29 | .905 | ||||||||||
| -bgcolor="#e0e0e0" | AHL totals | 121 | 57 | 41 | 12 | 6816 | 310 | 3 | 2.73 | .903 | 3 !1 !1 !141 !7 !0 !2.98 !.897 | ||||||||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | W | L | T | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | United States | WJC18 | Template:Bronze3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 120 | 7 | 0 | 3.50 | .851 | |
| Junior totals | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 120 | 7 | 0 | 3.50 | .851 | ||||
Awards and honors
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| USHS | ||
| MVP, Boston College High School | 2006–2007 | |
| College | ||
| Defensive Player of the Month, HE | November 2010 | |
| Finalist, Walter Brown Award | 2010–2011 | |
| Candidate for Hobey Baker Award | 2010–2011 | |
| HE Defensive Player of the Month | October 2011 | |
| HE Defensive Player of the Week | November 7, 2011 | |
| HE Defensive Player of the Week | November 14, 2011 | |
| Selected to All-HE First Team | 2011–12 NCAA season | |
| Merrimack team Most Valuable Player | 2011–12 NCAA season | |
| AHCA East Second-Team All-American | 2011–12 NCAA season | |
| ECHL | ||
| Led league in Save Percentage (.931) | 2018 season | |
| Winner of the Kelly Cup with Colorado Eagles | 2018 playoffs | |
Merrimack College
- Holds career wins record: 59 (2008–2012)
External links
- Short description with empty Wikidata description
- Articles without Wikidata item
- 1990 births
- Living people
- AHCA Division I men's ice hockey All-Americans
- American men's ice hockey goaltenders
- Boston College High School alumni
- Chicago Wolves players
- Colorado Eagles players
- Hershey Bears players
- Ice hockey players from Massachusetts
- IF Björklöven players
- Kalamazoo Wings (ECHL) players
- Löwen Frankfurt players
- Merrimack Warriors men's ice hockey players
- Norfolk Admirals (ECHL) players
- Ontario Reign (ECHL) players
- IK Oskarshamn players
- Sportspeople from Wakefield, Massachusetts
- San Antonio Rampage players
- Ice hockey people from Middlesex County, Massachusetts
- South Carolina Stingrays players
- USA Hockey National Team Development Program players
- Utah Grizzlies (ECHL) players
- Utica Comets players
- Vancouver Canucks draft picks
- Expatriate ice hockey players in Germany
- 21st-century American sportsmen