Tony DeAngelo is back in the NHL after mutually terminating his contract with the KHL’s SKA Saint Petersburg for “family reasons” on January 14.
The New York Islanders signed the divisive defenseman to a contract for the rest of the 2024-25 NHL season with their blueline depth depleted. Noah Dobson is out week-to-week due to a right leg injury he suffered on Monday, while Mike Reilly is recovering from heart surgery.
#Isles News: The New York Islanders have signed defenseman Tony DeAngelo to a one-year contract for the remainder of the 2024-25 season. pic.twitter.com/IeL4pBylzi
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) January 24, 2025
DeAngelo recorded 32 points (6g, 26a) in 34 KHL games with SKA after inking a contract with the team mid-season on September 23. DeAngelo made the jump to Russia with his NHL career appearing over. The rearguard was not re-signed by the Carolina Hurricanes after they were eliminated by the New York Rangers in the 2024 playoffs and did not receive a suitable deal from any other NHL organization during the summer.
DeAngelo, embroiled in controversy throughout his hockey career, appears to have left SKA on not the best of terms despite head coach Roman Rotenberg saying on his Telegram channel (in Russian and translated into English by Google Translate) that “we are parting as friends” and that the defenseman could return to the team someday.
DeAngelo released his own warm statement telling Match TV:
I would like to inform you that due to family circumstances I am forced to leave SKA and return to North America. This decision was not easy for me . It is very sad to leave such a city and such a team – in St. Petersburg they really love hockey, value every player, do everything to ensure that the club achieves high results. I would like to thank all the fans for their support, for the always full stands. You gave me some of the best emotions from home games that I have experienced in my career.
Thanks to the club and the team: head coach Roman Rotenberg, all partners, coaching and administrative staff for their help on the ice and in everyday life, for their attention to detail, the highest professionalism and a great atmosphere in the locker room. I am proud to have been on the same team with you and wish you success in the rest of the season. I will always remember this experience with warmth and hope that our paths will cross again in the future. Thank you for everything!
But during DeAngelo’s final game with SKA — a January 11 tilt against Dynamo Moscow — he reportedly got into a verbal altercation with SKA assistant coach Evgeny Koreshkov. DeAngelo did not play the entire third period of the game.
Match TV published reporting from a source close to the situation saying:
…He was always cursing at everyone, no one liked him. And how can you love him if all you hear from Tony is “f*** you”?
DeAngelo primarily wanted to get good statistics in the KHL, which would lead to bonuses. But he did not expect that the refereeing rules in the Russian league were so radically different from the NHL, and not for the better. This made Tony even more nervous. Especially when the referees began to openly bully him.
At the same time, DeAngelo overplayed shifts and yelled at everyone when he was not released on the first power play unit, which scores the lion’s share of points.
It was with Dynamo, returning from the ice, that DeAngelo once again vented his displeasure in one of the episodes with his favorite saying “f*** you”. And in response he heard a mirror response from Koreshkov.
Throughout his career, DeAngelo has struggled to remain in the good graces of his hockey teams — no matter what league. During his time in junior hockey, he was suspended twice for violating the Abuse/Diversity policy. In the AHL, he was healthy-scratched eight games by the Syracuse Crunch for rumored behavior issues. As a member of the Arizona Coyotes, he was suspended three games by the NHL for physically assaulting a referee. With the New York Rangers, he was outright released after starting a fight with goaltender Alexandar Georgiev.
The no-nonsense Lou Lamoriello, the Islanders’ president of hockey operations, is the latest hoping they can unlock whatever potential DeAngelo has left. Since DeAngelo played in Russia this season, he must go through waivers before he can dress for New York.
