NEW YORK, October 15, 2020 – The New York Rangers announced today that the team has agreed to terms with restricted free agent defenseman Tony DeAngelo.
DeAngelo, 24, skated in 68 games with the Rangers this past season, registering 15 goals and 38 assists for 53 points, along with a plus-12 rating and 47 penalty minutes. He established career-highs in several categories in 2019-20, including goals, assists, points, plus/minus rating, and games played. DeAngelo became the first Rangers defenseman to record at least 50 points in a season since Brian Leetch in 2001-02, and he also became the first Rangers defenseman to tally at least 15 goals in a season since Leetch in 2000-01. He tied for fourth among NHL defensemen in goals and points, and tied for ninth among NHL defensemen in assists, power play assists (16), and power play points (19) this past season.
The 5-11, 180-pounder established single-game career-highs with three goals and five points on January 9, 2020 vs. New Jersey; he tied single-game Rangers records for goals and points by a defenseman, as he posted the third five-point game by a defenseman in franchise history (Leetch posted two five-point games) and became the first Rangers defenseman to record a hat trick in a regular season game since Reijo Ruotsalainen on March 17, 1982. DeAngelo also tallied two overtime goals in 2019-20, becoming the fourth defenseman to register two overtime goals in a season in franchise history (Leetch – 2001-02; Tom Poti – 2003-04; Kevin Klein – 2014-15). He notched one assist in three games with the Blueshirts during the 2020 Stanley Cup Qualifiers.
DeAngelo has skated in 200 career NHL games over parts of four seasons (2016-17 – 2019-20) with Arizona and the Rangers, registering 24 goals and 81 assists for 105 points, along with 172 penalty minutes. DeAngelo has played parts of three seasons with the Rangers (2017-18 – 2019-20), recording 19 goals and 72 assists for 91 points in 161 games. Over the last two seasons, which have been his two full seasons in the NHL with the Rangers, DeAngelo is one of six NHL defensemen who have recorded 80 or more points and a plus-18 rating or better (along with John Carlson, Mark Giordano, Victor Hedman, Roman Josi, and Morgan Rielly). He tallied 30 points (four goals, 26 assists) in 61 games with the Blueshirts in 2018-19 and ranked 12th among NHL defensemen who were 23 years old or younger in points during the season.
The Sewell, New Jersey native was originally selected by Tampa Bay in the first round, 19th overall, of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. DeAngelo was acquired by the Rangers from Arizona on June 23, 2017.