Anthony DeAngelo
Position: D
Current Team: Sarnia Sting (OHL)
Date of Birth: October 24, 1995
Place of Birth: Sewell, New Jersey
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 170 lbs
Shoots: Right
One of the older players in this draft is American-born defenseman Anthony DeAngelo, who made the transition to major Canadian junior hockey. He’s a smaller defenseman who can skate and create with the puck on his stick, but for whom defense isn’t a strength. He skates well and is agile, and has strong offensive awareness. That said, he’s not big or strong, and to play defense in the NHL consistently he will need to get bigger and stronger. DeAngelo finished the year as the 14th-ranked North American skater in NHL Central Scouting’s final rankings.
DeAngelo was a points-machine from the blue line this season for Sarnia, racking up more assists than games played. That kind of ability isn’t taught for defensemen. That said, it’s clearly the strength of his game, and the other areas of playing defense in the pros will be areas for improvement. Unfortunately for DeAngelo, one of the other things you can’t teach is size, and he simply doesn’t have it.
DeAngelo also has a rather ugly character incident following him around, as he was suspended this season for eight games for violating the OHL’s harassment/diversity/sensitivity policy, and according to at least one source I read, that was his *second* suspension for breaking that rule. The suspension was initiated first by his coach, former Jacker Trevor Letowski, and then furthered by the OHL. Everything was a bit cloudy, but it came as a result of an inappropriate (read: slur) comment to a teammate. Oof.
DeAngelo is a smooth skating, offense-generating defenseman who has some very quick feet. He’s slippery and very creative with the puck. His offensive awareness is incredible but is easily out-muscled in his own end and needs to work on his positioning. – Elite Prospects
It seems like we’ve been waiting forever for Anthony DeAngelo to become NHL Draft eligible as the Sewell, N.J. native started his junior career as a 15-year-old with Cedar Rapids (USHL) in 2010-11. After jumping ship to the OHL a year later, DeAngelo has rather quietly become one of the premier offensive defensmen in the league. The undersized defenseman can be a fourth forward on the ice at times and is a major asset on the powerplay where his shot placement and puck distribution is top notch. DeAngelo’s defensive game is coming around but there’s no doubt that that’s the area that NHL scouts will be fixated on. – The Scouting Report
Known for his free-wheeling style of hockey, Tony DeAngelo appears to be maturing as a defender showing an improvement in his ability to jump into the rush. This more responsible style of hockey will sit much better with NHL scouts as he performs throughout his draft year. DeAngelo is one of the few OHL defensemen who has the ability to rush the puck end to end with ease and his defensive leading 10 points in eight games this season is a testament to that rare skill set. – Brendan Ross – Dobber Prospects
A Good Fit in Columbus?
I’m going to say no. I know I may get raked over the coals for this, but the character stuff matters to me. The way this team–and organization–is constructed, the last thing I want is a guy who will call his teammates slurs after a tough game. You have to have a stronger mind than that to be a professional athlete, in my opinion. As for his game itself, the Jackets can always use offense from the blue line, and DeAngelo certainly has that. But, his two-way play is lacking at the moment, and the character issue–to me–isn’t worth getting a third-pairing guy who can play on the Power Play.
DeAngelo in Action