Six months ago, Anthony Angello took the plunge.
It was last spring when Angello, the Penguins' fifth-round pick in the 2014 NHL Draft, decided to forego his senior season at Cornell University to make the jump to professional hockey and join Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
For some players, that final year in college hockey is crucial. For Angello, he knew he was ready to take the next step in his career.
"From the hockey side of things, I thought I had a really dominant year at Cornell," Angello told me this week. "I was ready for the pro game. I thought I got from a development standpoint what I wanted to out of college hockey. I thought in order to take that next step in my development and further my career, I needed to jump in with both feet in the pro game."
It wasn't a decision Angello took lightly, and six months later, the native of Manlius, N.Y. still believes it was the right move for his game.
"Once I made the decision, I went after it with a whole heart. I didn't have any regrets about it or anything like that. I jumped in with both feet, and ready to get after it."
It didn't take Angello long to see his decision pay off. He joined Wilkes-Barre at the end of the 2017-18 season on an amateur tryout agreement, and played in the final two games of the regular season. He didn't record any points, but he impressed the coaches enough to trust him in the playoffs. He played in two playoff games and scored his first two professional goals in the final game.
Fast forward to this season, and Angello is picking up right where he left off. He recorded the lone assist on Wilkes-Barre's first goal of the season from Ethan Prow. Angello netted goals in back-to-back games in Wilkes-Barre's two games in Cleveland earlier this month:
"I give a lot credit to the other guys on the ice on the team," he said. "I got a really good line, playing with Sam Lafferty and Zach Aston-Reese. It's a selfless group. It just doesn't matter who scores. Everyone works hard, and everyone wants to get the two points. I got lucky at the start, and I'm looking forward to keeping it going down the line."
Angello missed this weekend's games with an upper-body injury, but until then, that line was the only line left intact all season. And it's because it works. Angello, Lafferty, and Aston-Reese are all hard-working, physical players who complement each other well on the ice.
"We all want to work hard, we all want to be the first forward in on the forecheck, we're not afraid to play physical," Angello said of his line. "I think as a line, we do all the little things right. We work hard, and I believe that the harder you work the luckier you get. You follow the process, you trust the process, and you do all those little things -- winning your battles, not turning the pucks over, and playing a hard, solid game. You get rewarded going to the dirty areas of the ice like the net-front."
Lafferty is also playing in his first professional season, but that doesn't mean he and Angello don't have history together. Lafferty went to Brown University, so the two played against each other often during their college careers. Both players were members of the Penguins' 2014 draft class, and attended many development camps, rookie tournaments, and training camps together.
That familiarity may play a role in this early chemistry on their line.
"It's almost kind of weird, it's like I know where he is on the ice at all times, and where he's going to be and how he plays," Angello said of Lafferty. "It's definitely something that I cherish and something I'm looking to improve upon as the season goes on."
The third member of the line, Aston-Reese, works as a great example for his linemates. Aston-Reese is a former college player who quickly worked his way up to the NHL, and earned a regular spot in Pittsburgh's lineup in only his first full professional season. Angello said that Aston-Reese is a player who is "definitely well-respected" in the Penguins' locker room, and someone who he and his teammates will listen to for advice.
An element of Angello's game that benefits his line is his versatility. Angello primarily played center throughout his college career, but he has been playing right wing (Lafferty is at center) in Wilkes-Barre, and is comfortable at both center and wing. One of his strengths is his work in the faceoff circle, and that is something that comes into play this season.
"I think I do a pretty good job taking faceoffs," he said. "It's nice playing with 'Laffs', where he can go in on a faceoff and not have to worry about getting kicked out because he knows I can win draws as well."
One of Angello's biggest strengths, of course, is his physicality. At 6 feet 5, 210 pounds, he's one of the biggest players in Wilkes-Barre's lineup. He's an intimidating presence -- you can't miss him -- and knows how to use his size to create chances.
Angello's muscle is a welcome addition to Wilkes-Barre, who lost strong players like Jarred Tinordi and Andrey Pedan in the offseason.
Angello has some experience fighting in his pre-college USHL days, and he won't rule out dropping the gloves at some point this season.
"I'm not afraid to fight," said Angello. "I'm not going to be the guy that goes out looking for a fight on the first shift. But if it happens, then so be it. If we need a momentum swing and it gets the guys going and helps get two points, then I'm not afraid at all."
That being said, Angello is no goon. He hasn't dropped the gloves yet this season, instead taking on a peacemaker role during scrums, using his size to separate guys:
Angello is smart -- he went to Cornell, after all -- and will drop the gloves when the time is right. He'll pick his spots, and won't fight when it could hurt the team.
"There was an example last weekend where I had a big hit, and a guy on Cleveland wanted to fight," he said. "But you know, there was a short amount of time left in the third period, we were up two goals, and it just wasn't necessary. There's no sense in giving them any momentum. There's a time and a place for a fight and you have to pick and choose your battles."
With 12 games each this season against the Penguins' heated rivals, the Hershey Bears and Lehigh Valley Phantoms, we'll likely see Angello drop the gloves a handful of times. We're more likely to see Angello punish opponents where it really hurts, on the scoresheet.
MILETIC SHINES
The star of the week was undoubtedly Sam Miletic, who tallied the first three professional goals of his career.
Miletic's first professional goal came off a Phantoms turnover behind the net on Friday:
Miletic had a two-goal performance in Saturday's loss, with both goals again coming within feet of the net. His first goal on Saturday was a redirect of a Will O'Neill shot from the point, and his second goal came off a rebound chance after a Chris Summers slap shot:
Miletic now has three goals and three assists in six games to start the season. He showed his scoring touch in his final season in juniors, amassing 16 goals and 38 assists in 35 games with the OHL's London Knights, and another 20 goals and 18 assists in 28 games for the Niagara Ice Dogs after a trade.
Given that Miletic was a 20-year-old overage player in a league of mostly teenagers last season, some fans wondered if Miletic's production would translate to the professional game. It's still early in the season, but Miletic is faring well in the transition.
MORE FROM WILKES-BARRE
• Oct. 17: vs. Hershey, 3-2 loss
• Oct. 19: at Lehigh Valley, 5-4 win
• Oct. 20: vs. Lehigh Valley, 6-3 loss
• Miletic, Tobias Lindberg and Linus Olund scored their first goals of the season this week.
• Ryan Haggerty didn't play this week with a lower-body injury, and is considered week-to-week.
• With Angello and Haggerty out, forwards Troy Josephs and Pat McGrath played their first games of the season. Josephs recorded an assist. McGrath forced the turnover that led to Olund's goal Friday.
• Tristan Jarry recorded 25 saves on 28 shots Wednesday, and 28 saves on 32 shots Friday. Neither game looks too impressive on the box score, but the tape shows a different story. Jarry came up huge for Wilkes-Barre a number of times in both games. It sure didn't help that the Penguins put themselves short-handed eight times Friday.
• Wilkes-Barre did not receive a single power play on Saturday. Lehigh Valley received three, and capitalized on two of them.
• Wilkes-Barre's shot production early into the season has been outstanding, generating 42, 33, and 45 in this week's three games. They registered 20 shots in the first period of Saturday's game alone.
• Lines and defense pairings from Saturday:
Garrett Wilson - Adam Johnson - Jimmy Hayes
Zach Aston-Reese - Sam Lafferty - Sam Miletic
Thomas Di Pauli - Teddy Blueger - Tobias Lindberg
Troy Josephs - Linus Olund - Pat McGrath
Chris Summers - Stefan Elliott
Will O'Neill - Zach Trotman
Matt Abt - Ethan Prow
• After this week, the Penguins have a record of 4-2. They rank fourth in the Atlantic Division. The power play is operating at 18.5 percent, and the penalty kill is at 79.2 percent.
• The Penguins see the rival Bears again, with a home-and-home series Friday and Saturday.
GOALS OF THE WEEK
Olund's goal Friday was his first as a professional in North America. That's McGrath with the hit in the corner to set up the goal:
Aston-Reese scored his second goal:
Blueger scored his second goal, a tying goal against the Phantoms:
Prow scored his second goal Saturday on this shot from the point:
SAVES OF THE WEEK
Jarry made this series of saves Friday:
BEYOND THE AHL
He's not technically a Penguins prospect, but Austin Lemieux's participation in Penguins development camp three years in a row has to count for something, right?
Lemieux, 22, redshirted last season at Arizona State while majoring in sports management. He scored his first collegiate point in his first game this season, picking up a secondary assist against Alaska Fairbanks. Lemieux scored his first collegiate goal on Oct. 20 against Alabama-Huntsville:
Lemieux has been playing right wing on the Sun Devils' second line, a line centered by Pittsburgh-born Calgary Flames 2018 fourth-round pick Demetrios Koumontzis.
If you're looking to catch Lemieux play in person, he and the Sun Devils will play a two-game series against Penn State in State College on Nov. 2 and 3.
TOP PICK TRACKER
• Left wing Kasper Bjorkqvist (second round, 2016) recorded his first goal and assist of the season this week in Providence's 7-2 win over UConn.
WATCH: Kasper nets his first of the season to give us a three-goal cushion. #GoFriars pic.twitter.com/VUOhXTqD9p
— PC Men's Hockey (@FriarsHockey) October 20, 2018
• Defenseman Zachary Lauzon (second round, 2017) is still rehabbing from his neck injury. He has resumed training, but is expected to be out of Rouyn-Noranda’s lineup until December.
• Defenseman Calen Addison (second round, 2018) matched his totals from last week with three assists in three games this week with the Lethbridge Hurricanes, bringing his season totals to one goal, 11 assists in 12 games. Addison was moved back to the top defense pairing after spending two games on the third pairing.
• Forward Filip Hallander (second round, 2018) registered one assist in two games this week with Timra IK. He now has two goals and five assists through 10 games this season, his first season in the SHL.
WHEELING WATCH
Tomorrow I'll have a feature on Latvian forward Renars Krastenbergs.
PROSPECT FUN THING
Bjorkqvist's cat goes on boat rides:
Note: After this week, the "Beyond the AHL" and "Top Pick Tracker" sections will be moved to their own separate feature, "Prospect Watch". This will allow me to expand on the Penguins' prospects in juniors, college, or overseas, without making this feature any longer than it already is. Wilkes-Barre Watch will run on Mondays and focus solely on Wilkes-Barre, Wheeling Watch will continue to run on Tuesdays, and Prospect Watch will run on Wednesdays.