Hockey

Tony DeAngelo Explains KHL Choice, Prove NHL GMS Wrong

Published: Sep 23, 2024, 11:56 AM
1 min read
Updated: Jul 24, 2025, 12:39 PM
Fact checked by:
Marco D'Amico
Tony DeAngelo

Tony DeAngelo (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

 

Tony DeAngelo has signed a one-year contract with SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL. The 28-year-old defenseman was presented as an SKA player on Monday.

DeAngelo patiently waited until the last minute to sign a contract with an NHL team and moved to Russia only after the NHL training camps had already opened.

"I waited through most of the summer," DeAngelo said in a one-on-one interview with RG. "It took a bit long. It was back and forth. With a bunch of different things, the negotiation process wasn't where we wanted to go. I had a great opportunity to come here and play in a great League with great players. It was the best situation for myself at this time."

DeAngelo played 31 games for Carolina Hurricanes last season, scoring 11 points (three goals, eight assists). DeAngelo played 371 games in the NHL for the Arizona Coyotes, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, and Hurricanes.

He said that he "considered every option", including signing a PTO contract in the NHL as well as options in Europe: "Any option was on the table, but as I said, the best option for me was this one."

DeAngelo’s career-high in points came in the shortened 2019-20 season with the Rangers when he scored 53 points (15 goals, 38 assists) in 68 games. It was his first of two 50-point seasons over his eight years in the NHL. The Tampa Bay Lightning drafted DeAngelo 19th overall in 2014.

DeAngelo said he talked to many players before signing with SKA.

"I spoke to Evgeny Kuznetsov and Sergei Tolchinsky, I played with both of them," DeAngelo said. "Big reason for me coming here was what I heard from them. I spoke to many players that I know. I'm familiar with the League, with some coaches and cities. Kuzy gave me a lot of info. He's very familiar with everything. He made it a lot easier for me to make a decision to come overseas."

DeAngelo signed a one-year contract, but the exact amount has not yet been disclosed. However, the modest contract includes large bonuses.

"I'm a confident player," he said. "I'm confident about what I can do regarding bonuses. I want to win as well. The most important thing is winning. A win is good for everybody. I'm looking to be a big part of the team."

DeAngelo is not sure if he'll ever come back to the NHL.

"I guess, we'll see. I'm not sure. That question is not for me but for GMs and coaches in the NHL. Now, I'm just focused on this season."

DeAngelo also admitted he'll return to X (ex-Twitter). In 2021, after former US president Donald Trump was banned from using Twitter, DeAngelo announced that he was deactivating his account.

"Yes, I'll return," he said. I'd want to read everything that is going on, but I'm not going to post anymore."

Head of News Department
Sergey Demidov is Head of News at RG.org and has covered global sports since 2007. His work spans the Olympics, FIFA World Cups, IOC events, and Stanley Cup Finals. A former sports department deputy chief editor at Gazeta.Ru and TASS News Agency, and current senior editor at NHL.com/ru, Sergey has interviewed stars like Alex Ovechkin and Jaromir Jagr, former WADA and FIFA presidents Craig Reedy and Sepp Blatter, and coaches like Fabio Capello. He specializes in hockey and publishes in English and Russian.
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Daria Tuboltseva
Daria Tuboltseva
Hockey Reporter

Daria Tuboltseva has worked as a sports journalist since 2014 and has specialized in hockey coverage since 2016. She’s reported from some of the world’s biggest sporting events, including the Olympic Games (Beijing 2022), the FIFA World Cup (2018), the IIHF World Championships (2016–2019, 2021), the IIHF World Junior Championship (2019), and every Gagarin Cup Final since 2017.

Her work has appeared in leading Russian sports outlets like Championat.com and Sport24, as well as on the official websites of the KHL and the Women’s Hockey League (WHL). Daria has conducted exclusive interviews with some of the sport’s most recognized names, including Alex Ovechkin, Jaromir Jagr, Kirill Kaprizov, Sergei Bobrovsky, and Igor Shesterkin.

Beyond her writing, Daria brings extensive on-camera experience. She hosted NHL Today on Yandex.Efir and has produced powerful long-form projects such as the documentary Lokomotiv Crash and the series Hockey Country, featuring stars like Ovechkin, Malkin, Bobrovsky, Vasilevskiy, and Panarin. Her work has taken her to NHL games across North America and international events like the NHL Global Series in Europe.

In addition to her media career, Daria is a certified integrative nutritionist with a focus on sports nutrition. She works one-on-one with KHL players, helping them optimize performance and recovery through tailored nutrition plans. Her ability to blend media expertise with athlete support gives her a unique presence in the professional hockey world.

Daria publishes in both English and Russian and is the creator of the Telegram channel Coolest Game on Earth, where she shares insights, interviews, and behind-the-scenes stories from the hockey world.

Based in: Saint Petersburg, Russia

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