It was a little more than five years ago now that Pat Cannone experienced one of the more pivotal moments of his career, even if he didn’t realize it at the time.

Then midway through his fifth full season in the American Hockey League without having received an opportunity at the next level, Cannone, who at the time was playing for the Chicago Wolves, scored three goals in the 2016 AHL All-Star Game to earn MVP honors.

Speaking in the locker room in Syracuse at the time, Cannone initially dismissed the thought that a showing like that — perhaps because it was in the new 3-on-3 tournament setting, perhaps he simply wasn’t thinking that far ahead — could help him earn that long-awaited chance in the NHL. But, fast forward a year and a half later, and there was the Bayport, NY, native up with the Minnesota Wild for his first, and so far only, taste of the big time.

“Whenever you’re on that kind of stage like the AHL All-Star Game and doing well in it, a lot of people were tuning in and watching, and I definitely think it helped when I was a free agent the summer after,” said Cannone, now with the ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies.

“I was fortunate enough that Minnesota was very interested, and it was a great opportunity with that organization. I was fortunate to land in a good spot. I had a couple years there, and they were great with giving me my opportunity I’d been working towards my whole career.”

Now 34, Cannone was one of the AHL’s more prolific players for most of the 2010s; between the Binghamton Senators, Wolves and Iowa Wild, he potted 105 goals over that timeframe, but had also found himself typecast as an organizational depth-type forward who would be stowed away in the minors until he finally got the call prior to his December 20, 2017 debut in Colorado for the Minnesota Wild.

“It meant a lot,” he said. “You kind of get pegged as an AHL guy, and you kind of wonder when that opportunity will come, because you’re doing well at the AHL level. So, it was really rewarding when I finally got that chance and very humbling. The games I played with Minnesota were great, the staff and the guys on the team were awesome. The hard part when you get up there is to try to stay up there, so you’re obviously not going to be the scorer that you were at that AHL level in trying to find your role to stick around as long as possible. Obviously, my stay up in the NHL was very short, but I tried finding that role as a good two-way player and a good faceoff guy, just a reliable forward. It was a great experience, a lot of fun and something I’ll never forget.”

Having grown up Long Island, Cannone was more of an Islanders fan than anything else, but did relish getting into what ended up being his final NHL game so far against the Rangers at Madison Square Garden on his wife’s birthday, December 23; he said he had “tons and tons” of friends and family in attendance, who all got to see him play before he ended up getting sent back to Iowa for the remainder of the season and the entirety of the next.

Ultimately, it was time for a change after that for Cannone, who elected to take his talents overseas prior to the 2018-19 and play in the DEL over in Germany.

“As I was going into free agency the summer before I went to Europe, as you get older at the American League level, you get labeled a veteran player and there’s only so many job opportunities out there,” he explained. “I waited around as long as I could, and then I just felt like it was the right time for my wife and I to explore playing overseas. We weren’t quite sure where we wanted to go, and we had opportunities in different leagues, but I felt like Germany was probably the right spot for us. There were more North American players on the teams, and adjusting to the culture would probably be easier with that being my first time over there. Playing in Europe was something I’d always wanted to do, and it was just about finding that right time towards the end of my career. The grind of the AHL can take a toll, and in Europe, you play less games and play less back-to-backs, it extends your career and you still can make good money. That was a really good experience.”

It was also one that Cannone didn’t expect would come to an end after just two seasons. The pandemic, however, had other plans. 

With Cannone and his wife having just had a baby a little less than a year ago, it made perfect sense to stay closer to home and play in North America again, and he seems to have found the perfect fit in the ECHL with the Grizzlies, marking his first stint in this league in his career.

“There were a couple teams that were interested, but I had a good conversation with the head coach, Tim (Branham) and I really liked his approach,” Cannone said. “The opportunity was presented to me, and I’d had some buddies that played in Utah, and all the feedback I got from them was positive, so it seemed like a good fit.”

So far, so good. Prior to an early March injury that’s put him on the shelf for a few weeks, the former Miami University (Ohio) standout was producing at a nearly point-per-game pace with seven goals and 13 assists in his first 22 contests with his new club. Perhaps more importantly, he’s also served as a valuable, veteran presence in the locker room on one of the league’s youngest teams.

“I hope that I fuel the younger guys,” Cannone said. “Seeing an older guy that still has that competitive drive and still wants to do well, I hope I feed off of those guys too, but this whole season has been great . . . I couldn’t ask for anything better at this point.”

Mike Ashmore has 17 years of experience covering professional and college sports. You can follow him on all social media channels at @mashmore98.