Tony DeAngelo

Anthony DeAngelo (born October 24, 1995) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman for the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL).

He previously played with the Arizona Coyotes, New York Rangers, and the Philadelphia Flyers.

DeAngelo was born in Sewell, New Jersey, and played minor ice hockey there until the age of 14, when he joined the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders to become the youngest ever player for the United States Hockey League.

In 2008, he appeared in the Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Philadelphia Flyers' minor hockey affiliate.

DeAngelo left Washington Township at the age of 14 to play junior ice hockey for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders of the United States Hockey League (USHL).

He was the youngest player in USHL history, often competing with college athletes.

DeAngelo played 28 games with the RoughRiders in the 2010–11 USHL season, scoring one goal and 14 assists for a total of 15 points.

Although DeAngelo's season with the RoughRiders ended early due to a knee injury, he was taken by the Sarnia Sting of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) in the second round of the 2011 OHL Priority Selection Draft.

He had a strong offensive output for the Sting, scoring 58 points in his sophomore season.

In January 2011, he suffered a broken patella while blocking a slapshot in a game against the Des Moines Buccaneers, and the injury kept him out for the rest of the season.

After watching his performance in the USHL, the Sarnia Sting of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) selected DeAngelo in the second round, 24th overall, of the 2011 OHL Priority Selection Draft.

DeAngelo considered continuing with the USHL, which carried a potential invitation to the USA Hockey National Team Development Program, but chose to sign with Sarnia because it offered him a faster opportunity to progress his career than waiting to play college hockey.

He struggled to adjust to the new league, saying that it took "[m]aybe 15, 20 games before I started getting power-play time and was able to do what I do".

As a rookie in the 2011–12 OHL season, DeAngelo scored 23 points in 68 games.

He found his stride in the 2012–13 season, improving to 58 points in 62 games, the fifth-highest for Sarnia that season.

Beginning in 2013–14, DeAngelo's on-ice behavior began to overshadow his athletic performance.

The Tampa Bay Lightning selected DeAngelo 19th overall in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, and he signed a three-year, entry-level contract with them later that year.

He was removed from the ice during the second period of the Sting's game against the Guelph Storm on January 31, 2014, and the OHL released a statement on February 14 that DeAngelo would be suspended for eight games following a violation of the league's Harassment and Abuse/Diversity Policy.

The OHL statement also revealed that this was DeAngelo's second suspension that season for violating the Abuse/Diversity policy, but that this was the first time his comments were directed towards a teammate.

The details of his first suspension were kept confidential.

Later in the season, DeAngelo received a two-game suspension for abuse of an official.

He returned on March 14 for the final game of the season, against the Erie Otters, but was ejected in the third period for another abuse of an official violation.

Going into the 2014 National Hockey League draft, DeAngelo was considered a top North American prospect.

He led all OHL defensemen in scoring with 71 season points (15 goals and 56 assists), and was ranked No. 10 in the NHL Central Scouting Bureau's 2014 midterm report.

He also made an appearance for Team Cherry at the 2014 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game.

On June 27, 2014, the Tampa Bay Lightning selected DeAngelo in the first round, 19th overall, at the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.

Lightning director of amateur scouting Al Murray addressed DeAngelo's past suspensions, saying he believed that some of the incidents were "blown out of proportion", while general manager Steve Yzerman said that the organization believed "he'll change and grow up".

He signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the team on December 2, 2014.

He was traded to the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in 2015, with whom he won both the Max Kaminsky Trophy for OHL defensemen, and the CHL Defenceman of the Year award.

On January 7, 2015, the Sting traded DeAngelo to the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in exchange for Anthony Salinitri and three future draft picks.

At the time, he had 38 points in 29 season games with the Sting.

At the end of the season, DeAngelo was awarded the Max Kaminsky Trophy, given to the OHL's Most Outstanding Defenseman of the Year.

He led all defensemen for scoring that season, with 89 points in 55 games, including 25 multi-point games.

He was the fourth Greyhound in OHL history to receive the award.

After one season with their American Hockey League affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, DeAngelo was traded to the Coyotes, and he made his NHL debut in 2016.

He was again traded, this time to the Rangers, in 2017, and steadily improved his performance until the 2019–20 NHL season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The youngest of four siblings, DeAngelo was born in Sewell, New Jersey shortly after his family moved there.

Growing up in Washington Township, he began playing minor ice hockey in South Jersey at Hollydell Ice Arena in Sewell, and was known for his competitive nature.

In addition to playing for the Mercer Chiefs of the Atlantic Youth Hockey League, DeAngelo dabbled in baseball and basketball.

DeAngelo was also close to his grandparents, and his paternal grandfather Lou would drive him to and from the local ice rink during his youth hockey career.