Penguins prospect Anthony Angello scoring more in 2nd pro season
WILKES-BARRE — The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins’ offense has been limited as of late. After all, they’ve been shut out in three of their past five games.
But it’s not just the volume of their scoring that has been restricted. It’s also the sources.
Of the four goals they’ve recorded over the past five games, three have been registered by power forward Anthony Angello.
Through 31 games, Angello, 23, has 11 points (nine goals, two assists). His goal total is already past the halfway mark of the 16 he scored in his first full professional season of 2018-19.
“As of late, he’s been one of our top forwards,” said Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins coach and general manager Mike Vellucci. “And not because he’s scoring goals. But because he’s skating every shift. He’s finishing his checks. His attention to detail is really good. I had a good hard talk with him three weeks to a month ago. He expressed some things, I expressed some things and we came out of there with a gameplan. From that point on one, he’s been really, really good. It’s not points. It’s the way he’s competing every shift and every game. He’s not taken a shift off, and that’s huge.”
“The biggest difference from last year and this year is consistency,” Angello said. “Last year, I would have some really good games and some not so good games. It was inconsistent. A lot more of a rocky road. This year, I think I’ve been a lot more consistent. That’s what it takes to be a pro. You’ve got to be at your best at all times and find ways to help your team contribute.”
Angello said he is stressing other parts of his game than just his base offensive numbers.
“I don’t try to focus on that too much,” he said. “As long as I go out there and work hard and compete and move my feet and play big and create scoring opportunities, I know the goals will come.”
(Video courtesy Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins)
Most of his goals tend to come near the crease, given his dimensions. With a 6-foot-5, 210-pound frame, he’s a power forward just by genetics.
“With my God-given size, I have to use it,” Angello said. “It would be a shame if I didn’t. Whether it’s running guys over, taking pucks to the net, possessing pucks, being down in the corners, holding on to them, fending guys off, creating plays, outmuscling guys in front of the net, all of the things of that nature are things I focus on and take pride in doing.”
That role involves occasionally dropping the gloves. Last season, Angello, who played three seasons at Cornell, recorded three fighting majors but has yet to scrap this season.
“Last year, I had a few of them just to kind of get them out of the way, do it,” Angello said. “You’re obviously not allowed to fight in college. But that’s not something I focus on. I worked with a guy this summer, a (mixed martial arts trainer), and it was more so just to be ready if I need to. Because the way I play, I’m going to make guys angry. Someone is going to have to step up for someone or step up for themselves. I have to know how to protect myself. I’m not out there just looking to beat guys up, but I’m out there to play a hard game.”
A fifth-round pick of the Penguins in 2014, Angello is taking the long route to the NHL. Having seen Teddy Blueger go nearly seven years between being drafted in 2012 and making his NHL debut earlier this calendar year, Angello is assured there is a process he has to follow to get to the next level.
“That’s something I embrace,” Angello said. “You do things right day-in and day-out and control what you can control and let the rest take care of itself. I know if I keep doing things the right way, I will get a shot with Pittsburgh one of these days.”
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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