New York Rangers 2017-18 report card: Tony DeAngelo
The New York Rangers acquired a young offensive defenseman in the Derek Stepan trade. How did he fare in his first season on Broadway?
Tony DeAngelo was a former first round pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning. He was selected 19th overall in the 2014 NHL draft and was expected to be a very good offensive defenseman.
Over the first few years of his pro hockey career, DeAngelo showed flashes of offensive excellence. The issue was that he kept getting in his own way, as he was the subject of suspension for unsportsmanlike like conduct more than once in juniors and in the AHL.
DeAngelo was dealt to the Coyotes for a second round pick in 2016. He had a brief cup of tea in the NHL with Arizona at the end of that season where he played really well. DeAngelo tallied five goals and nine assists in 39 games with the big club.
In the offseason, the Coyotes flipped DeAngelo and the seventh overall pick in the draft for Derek Stepan and Antti Raanta to add some veteran leadership to their room. The Rangers were hoping that DeAngelo would continue to develop into a strong offensive threat from the right side of their defense.
Must read: Vinni Lettieri report card
DeAngelo’s first season on Broadway was an up-and-down one. The 5-foot-11, 181 pound defender made the team out of training camp. After eight games where he didn’t look particularly great defensively, the team sent him down to Hartford.
DeAngelo would stay in Hartford until January. His offensive numbers were very similar to the ones he put up in Tuscon, Arizona’s AHL affiliate, the season prior. In 29 games, DeAngelo tallied two goals and 11 assists. Once he was called up on January 20, he never went back to Hartford.
While DeAngelo still struggled a bit defensively in his second stint, he looked a bit better. Even when he made mistakes that would lead to odd man rushes or other types of breakouts by the opposing team, DeAngelo was able to use his speed to get back in the play.
DeAngelo’s season came to an early end on March 12 when he sprained his ankle in a game against the Carolina Hurricanes. DeAngelo finished the season with zero goals and eight assists in 32 games.
The Verdict
DeAngelo showed some improvement in the defensive zone towards the end of his run with the Rangers. With that said, there is still plenty of room to improve.
It is worth noting that DeAngelo began to take some more defensive responsibility after the trade deadline and was doing a decent job. DeAngelo tallied anywhere from 16:30-20 minutes a night in five of the seven games after the deadline. His best performance was in the game before he got hurt. He tallied 25:53 of ice time in a shootout loss to the Panthers on March 10.
DeAngelo has always been touted as an offensive defenseman since his junior days. He didn’t show much of it with the big club last year. If he wants a shot at a consistent top-six job in the NHL, he needs to show more in that area.
Next: Pavel Buchnevich report card
Overall, the New Jersey native got better as the season went on. Some of his struggles may have been due to Alain Vigneaut’s system, but we won’t know for sure until October. At 22-years-old, there is still plenty of time for DeAngelo to develop into a very serviceable defender in the league.