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Meltzer's Musings: Update: Timonen re signs. DeAngelo, Quick Hits

June 13, 2014, 2:36 AM ET [845 Comments]
Bill Meltzer
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • RSSArchiveCONTACT
1:15 pm Update:

From the team website:

The Philadelphia Flyers have signed 5-10, 194-lb D Kimmo Timonen to a one-year contract extension, according to general manager Ron Hextall.


NEW JERSEY PRODUCT DeANGELO A LIKELY FIRST-ROUND DRAFT SELECTION

If you polled NHL scouts about who is the most purely skilled offensive defenseman available in the 2014 NHL Draft after Aaron Ekblad, many would say it is Sarnia Sting blueliner Anthony DeAngelo.

A native of Sewell, New Jersey, the 18-year-old DeAngelo was the second-leading scorer on his team. The third-season OHL player racked up 71 points (15 goals, 51 assists) in just 51 games. The righthanded shooter has a tremendous shot that is both accurate and released quickly, possesses a high degree of hockey sense to anticipate plays and is also an outstanding passer.

"It was something special watch him and [fellow 2014 first-round Draft prospect Nikolay] Goldobin work the puck on the power play," said Sarnia assistant coach Andy Delmore.

Delmore, a former standout offensive defenseman for Sarnia who went to play for the Flyers and several other NHL teams, believes that DeAngelo has the ability to be a special player.

"He can make passes that I did not even try until I was in my 20s," said Delmore. "He is very creative. Anthony has a lot of skill but he also makes quick decisions with the puck. I would compare him to Dan Boyle or Brian Rafalski."

An NHL Scout agreed.

"When you are talking about sheer puck skill and offensive ability, DeAngelo is a special talent. He is a weapon that other teams have to be aware of at all times. Just being on the ice, he helps open things up for the forwards," he said. "He could play on an NHL power play right now."

DeAngelo was ranked 14th on Central Scouting's final North American skater list, down four spots from his mid-term rating. Craig Button rated him 15th overall on his final Craig's List. The Hockey News ranked DeAngelo 30th overall at midseason. International Scouting Services omitted DeAngelo from its top 30.

The NHL scout said, "If all things are equal and you look at skills, his total game and his upside, I think he's easily a top half of the Draft talent. But that depends on how comfortable teams are with the other stuff."

The "other stuff" the scout referred to is only partially hockey-related.

In the bigger hockey picture, the main questions center around traditional issues that are often raised about offensive defensemen in general and smallish ones in particular.

At 5-foot-11, 168 pounds, DeAngelo will have to add muscle to his frame to handle the big, strong attackers he will face at the pro level. Additionally, after putting up a minus-34 rating for a Sarnia club that posted a 17-44-0-7 record, there are question marks about the player's defensive awareness and focus.

Delmore, who worked with DeAngelo on a daily basis, said the player has come a long way in his play in his own zone.

"People ask me that all the time, and I always say that he's actually fine defensively," said Delmore. "He works his tail off. If you watch the way he defends one one one, even when there is someone like Sam Bennett bearing down on him, he makes good reads and handles it fine. He can play in all situations."

The NHL scout was a little more skeptical.

"Defensively, he's adequate for this level," he said. "I don't care about a plus-minus number, especially on a team that struggled. But he is going to have to get stronger to handle the defensive game as a pro; stronger physically and stronger without the puck. He has to work on his angles. One thing he is good at is closing on guys if he gets caught."

The other, more highly publicized questions that arise around the teenager center around his level of maturity and character.

DeAngelo spent considerable time at the recent NHL Combine answering questions from NHL teams on what he learned from and how he will move past a much-publicized suspension by the OHL for a verbal abuse incident involving DeAngelo and a teammate. It was his second suspension.

Most hockey people stress that DeAngelo is still just a teenager and say he deserves the chance to live down the incident. Both the teammate involved and the team as a whole put in the rearview mirror once DeAngelo's eight-game suspension was served. Nevertheless, in a tightly packed Draft class, the short-term fallout from the incident may have hurt the player's Draft ranking among some clubs.

Said the scout, "I don't think he's a bad kid. He is still 18, he is intense and a competitor. He has to channel it better sometimes. It's no secret he used some bad judgment in the way he's handled himself under stress. No question about it. But he realizes that [similar incidents] can never happen again if he's going to have a pro career. This is something he can move past. It's going to be up to him to show he's learned and matured. I will also say that he has not ducked the questions that NHL teams have about it, and that's an important first step in putting it behind him for good."

I asked the scout if he thought the eight-game suspension in and of itself hurt DeAngelo's final Draft rankings.

"Not in my mind," he said. "He's been on everyone's radar screen for years, and he's been scouted pretty thoroughly. I'm evaluating him based on his skills and his upside and that didn't change. Like I said, what happened is over and done with and it's up to him to make sure it stays that way. He has potential to be an impact player in the NHL."

*******

FRIDAY QUICK HITS

* Alumni birthdays: Vyacheslav Butsayev turns 44 today. Doug Crossman turns 54. Danny Syvret turns 29. Dale Kushner turns 48.

* Today in Flyers history: On this day in 1971, the Flyers broke up the Hillman brothers due on the roster when they traded older brother Larry to the LA Kings for Larry Mickey.

* On this day in 1987, the Flyers acquired backup goaltender Mark "Trees" Laforest from the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for a 2nd round pick in the 1987 Draft. Detroit used the selection (41st overall) to take defenseman Bob Wilkie. Years later, Wilkie passed through the Flyers organization and had a 10-game cup of coffee with the NHL club in 1993-94. On February 15, 1995, the Flyers traded Wilkie to the Chicago Blackhawks along with a 1997 fifth-round pick in exchange for defenseman Karl Dykhuis. The Blackhawks used the pick (130th overall) to select Kyle Calder, who later had a short and unproductive stint with the Flyers during the 2006-07 season after being acquired for Michal Handzus.
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