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Anthony DeAngelo of the Sarnia Sting had one of the more interesting and controversial seasons of anyone in these rankings. On the ice, DeAngelo excelled offensively with 15 goals and 71 points in 51 games. Along with Nikolay Goldobin, the offence that DeAngelo provided was one of the few bright spots with the Sting this year, as the team finished in last place in the entire NHL. However, for all his offensive exploits, DeAngelo was also heavily scrutinized for a weak defensive game.
DeAngelo has some international experience, playing for the US team at the 2012 Ivan Hlinka tournament. He put up six points in four games, but the American team had a disastrous tournament. finishing in 7th place.
Now for the controversy, in February, DeAngelo was suspended by the OHL for eight games, for a slur directed at one of his Sarnia Sting teammates. A referee on the ice heard the slur on the Sting bench and when it was directed to David Branch, the league’s commissioner wasted little time handing down harsh punishment on DeAngelo. After returning, DeAngelo would take numerous penalties for unsportsmanlike conduct in arguing with officials, and would even be suspended for verbal abuse of an official (two games). These actions will certainly be a talking point when DeAngelo goes through interviews with NHL teams come the NHL Draft combine.
Anthony DeAngelo
Defense — shoots Right
Born Oct 24 1995 — Sewell, NJ
Height 5.11 — Weight 165 [180 cm/75 kg]
Anthony DeAngelo is a star offensively from the blue line. He has good skating and puck handling skills and can lead the rush or join as a trailer. He has high-end speed and excellent acceleration which can allow him to make these types of plays. DeAngelo has a good assortment of shots, including an excellent wrist shot and release, a hard slapshot and a booming one-timer. He is a natural power play quarterback who shows poise with the puck and excellent passing skills. DeAngelo has patience to wait for the right play, and can use good lateral agility and mobility to walk the line and open up lanes. Loves to pinch into the slot to get into a better position to get a shot off, though he can sometimes get caught doing it too often and this hurts his defensive game.
Defensively his game is very much a work in progress. He can be overpowered in front of the net and in the corners. At 5’11” he is a little short for an NHL dman, but this can be overcome. However he really needs to add some muscle to a small and slender frame, and could stand to become stronger on his skates in board battles and in front of the net. He also needs work on his positioning and fundamentals. He has a tendency to puck watch and can lose his man in the defensive zone. He is also beaten far too often one-on-one especially given his skating ability. He takes a lot of chances and can get burned with giveaways and bad decisions.
DeAngelo is the ultimate high-risk, high reward type of player. He can score a goal or he can get you burned with a quality scoring chance against. His style is reminiscent of the game that Mike Green used to play when he was leading all NHL defencemen in scoring by leaps and bounds a few years ago. This is a stylistic comparison though, and not a talent one. In terms of potential, if he can increase his defensive game, he can become a top notch powe
rplay quarterback and offensive catalyst for a team. He will need to be paired with a staunch defender though to cover for his tendency to make risky plays.
Here are some highlights of Anthony DeAngelo in action:
Check back Thursday for my number 30 ranked prospect.
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