New York Rangers Report Card: Tony DeAngelo

Was this finally the year that Tony DeAngelo came of age? The New York Rangers certainly saw signs of encouragement from their young defenseman.

Tony DeAngelo – Grade B-

The lockers have been cleared and the New York Rangers have jetted off for the summer, which means now is the perfect time to grade every player who laced up for the Blueshirts during 2018-19. Today we switch our focus to Tony DeAngelo who finally lived up to his potential…

His season

There were a bunch of question marks hovering over Tony DeAngelo heading into 2018-19, and for good reason.

A lack of maturity and bad decision making had plagued the 23-year-old’s start to life in the Big Apple, negatives which continued to linger at the start of the season.

Only making the opening night roster because being sent down to the Hartford Wolf Pack would have meant clearing waivers, DeAngelo had a point to prove both to the franchise and new head coach David Quinn.

The relationship between Quinn and DeAngelo appeared to endure a few rocky moments in the early throes of the season, with the new man at the helm known for his no nonsense approach to running a team.

Few would have been surprised if that relationship ended in a swift divorce but, and credit has to be given to both parties here, it was one that instead blossomed into a match made in heaven.

Despite being benched and then scratched on occasion for maturity issues combined with his reckless play with the puck in his own zone, DeAngelo finally wised up and began to discover what it takes to survive as a professional in the NHL.

He thrived under Quinn’s tutelage and went on to flourish within the new environment and culture that has been cultivated at Madison Square Garden, particularly in the second half of the year.

You only have to look at the numbers to see just how much DeAngelo improved during his second year with the Rangers and his third in the big league.

His 61 games played was a career high (by quite some distance, he only played 32 games the year before), as was assists (26), points (30) and power play points (10).

DeAngelo had a plus/minus rating of +6,  one of only six Rangers players to achieve a plus rating in 2018-19 and he morphed into the franchise’s most reliable and potent point man on the power play.

He also brings a bucketload of grit and tenacity to the table, dropping the gloves on numerous occasions throughout the year in order to try and give his team an edge.

It was three fights and three wins for DeAngelo in 2018-19, including a gusty scrap against Riley Nash on Nov. 10, 2018 after hitting the Columbus Blue Jackets forward like an absolute train.

He just plays with an edge and a swagger that you need in order to be a success in the modern day NHL.

Why the grade

You could argue that, along with Mika Zibanejad and Pavel Buchnevich, DeAngelo was one of the biggest success stories for the Rangers in 2018-19.

He was certainly a project for coach Quinn and it is one that is heading in the right direction at the moment.

As mentioned above, DeAngelo cut down on his sloppy errors in the defensive zone in addition to becoming a deadly weapon on the power play and contributing offensively from the blueline.

His plus/minus rating of +6 on a team that struggled for large chunks of the season was impressive, and he began to show some leadership qualities in the latter part of the year.

There is a but here, however.

One minor blot on DeAngelo’s copybook was the fact that he was scratched in early March for a game against the Edmonton Oilers due to an unspecified reason, but the tone of Quinn’s reasoning at the time seemed to suggest that the defenseman’s lack of maturity had reared its ugly head again.

That broke up a streak of 17 straight games on the ice and that’s why I’ve graded DeAngelo a B- rather than a B,  he needs to stamp out the silly individual moments off the ice that has and will continue to cost him dearly.

However, there is no denying that DeAngelo made a substantial and considerable leap in terms of his development in 2018-19, and he could well cement a spot as one of the Rangers’ top-line blueliners if he has a strong training camp.

He boosted a number of his personal stats in key areas including his average total ice time, total shots attempted, blocked shots and hits, which only bodes well for the future.

There is no reason why he can’t do just that if he continues to grow and mature both on and off the ice, which looks likely under Quinn.

The early signs are very encouraging at least.

The numbers

Games: 61
Goals: 4
Assists: 26
Points: 30
Power Play Points: 10
CF%: 46.3
Plus/minus: +6
Shots: 111
Total Shot Attempts: 207
oZS%: 45.1
PIM: 77
ATOI: 19:20
Blocked Shots: 82
Hits: 54
Takeaways: 21

Next Report Card: Jesper Fast