Penguins A to Z: The future might not be now for Anthony Angello
While the NHL is on hold because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the Tribune-Review will offer Penguins A to Z, a player-by-player look at all 48 individuals under NHL contract with the organization, from mid-level prospect Niclas Almari to high-profile trade acquisition Jason Zucker.
Anthony Angello
Position: Center
Shoots: Right
Age: 24
Height: 6-foot-5
Weight: 210 pounds
2019-20 NHL statistics: Eight games, one point (one goal, zero assists)
2019-20 AHL statistics: 48 games, 25 points (16 goals, nine assists)
Contract: First year of a two-year two-way contract with a salary cap hit of $$725,000. Pending restricted free agent in 2022.
Acquired: Fifth-round draft pick (No. 145 overall), June 28, 2014
Last season: In 2019-20, Angello fell short of topping the career-best totals he established as a first-year professional in the AHL with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins during the 2018-19 campaign when he had 16 goals and 29 goals.
There was a pretty good reason for that.
He was good enough to earn a handful of recalls to the NHL.
One of the largest humans in the Penguins organization, Angello committed himself to improving his skating during the 2019 offseason and that paid off with a breakout last season in Northeast Pennsylvania as he nearly doubled his point-per-game production.
Despite playing in only 48 AHL games — only three of which came after Jan. 26 — Angello finished as Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s leading goal-scorer.
Recalled to the NHL for the first time Jan. 30, Angello was primarily used in a fourth-line role, averaging a mere 5 minutes, 43 seconds of ice time, almost strictly in five-on-five situations.
His first goal came in a 5-2 home win against the Maple Leafs on Feb. 18. Using his ample frame in front of the crease, Angello redirected a point shot for the score.
While it would be a stretch to say Angello made a significant impact in his cup of coffee last season, he showed he was more than capable of being a reliable NHLer.
By the time the NHL season came to a halt, Angello had missed four games because of an undisclosed injury. When the league resumed play with a postseason tournament in the summer, Angello participated in the Penguins’ training camp and was included on their playoff roster, but did not appear in a game.
On Oct. 10, the Penguins re-signed the restricted free agent.
The future: Given general manager Jim Rutherford’s suggestion he would make the roster younger this offseason and the limited salary cap space the franchise had to operate with, Angello seemed like a prime candidate to open the 2020-21 season on the NHL roster.
And while the Penguins did cut ties with established right wingers Patric Hornqvist and Conor Sheary, the return of Kasperi Kapanen and Evan Rodrigues, as well as the acquisition of Colton Sceviour, have bloated the starboard side of the Penguins’ forward ranks.
Additionally, the fact that Angello is still exempt from waivers would suggest he is bound to open the season on Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s roster (or the Penguins’ group of reserves should the NHL decide to expand rosters given the uncertainty of the AHL opening play because of the coronavirus pandemic).
Regardless, Angello has a future with the team, even if it’s not immediate. He just needs to continue on the trajectory he’s already on to realize it.
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.
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