Two weeks ago, Manlius native Anthony Angello was on Cloud 9. The Pittsburgh Penguins had just wrapped up preseason training camp, and the 24-year old was almost certain he'd made the team.

"It went really well," said Angello during a Zoom interview Wednesday. "I feel like I can make a great impact there, and I went in, just kind of laid it all on the line. I feel like I played my best, I was prepared, and just let the pieces fall where they lay."

What You Need To Know


  • Manlius native Anthony Angello made the Pittsburgh Penguins' taxi squad out of training camp, but got sent to AHL Wilkes-Barre last week

  • The 24-year old former F-M Hornet is in his third professional season after playing collegiately at Cornell

  • Angello and the W-B/S Penguins are in a COVID pause after a player tested positive

  • Wilkes-Barre is scheduled to play three games in Syracuse this season, starting Feb 13

Turns out, the pieces of the Penguins' 23-man regular season roster did not include Angello, but he did earn a spot on next best thing. The former Cornell star was named to Pittsburgh's six-man taxi squad, a new addition to the NHL this season, created as an emergency reserve from which teams can draw players during the pandemic.

Players on the NHL taxi squads travel with and practice alongside the team, and Angello says he was proud to make it because it was one of his goals going into camp. But his celebration didn't last long. A week later, Anthony was on his way down to Pittsburgh's AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre after a series of injuries to defensemen forced the Pens to shuffle some players around.

"That didn't deter my mentality at all, my mentality stays the same," said Angello, who played in 48 games for Wilkes-Barre last season and scored a team-high-tying 16 goals. "I'm going to come and do my thing down here, and who knows, you could go back up next week. You just have to stay even-keeled, and make the most of every opportunity."

Even more frustrating than getting sent down is the fact the Wilkes-Barre Penguins are currently in a pause after a member of the team tested positive. That means no skating, no practicing, and only hotel room workouts, providing almost no opportunity for Anthony to earn his way back to Pittsburgh. The onetime F-M Hornet says he hasn't played in a regular season game since the virus outbreak stopped the season last March, so he's more than eager for some action.

"I miss being on the ice, I miss working out, but we've got our workouts here that I do on the floor in the hotel room," he said. "You've just got to wake up every day and find a way to smile and make the most of it."

Angello says the eight NHL games that he played in last season have given him the confidence that he'll eventually stick with the Penguins in Pittsburgh. In the meantime, a little home-cooking wouldn't hurt. Wilkes-Barre is scheduled to play in Syracuse three times this season, starting with a Valentine's weekend date two weeks from Saturday.

"I grew up watching the Crunch, I always went to their games when I was a kid," Angello said. "Even in my third year as a pro, it's surreal playing them. I just think it's cool."

And when he finally makes his way back to Pittsburgh, he's got something else cool to look forward to. Angello has become friendly with Penguins' superstar Sidney Crosby, of all people, and says the 8-time all-star took him under his wing immediately.

"Right when I got called up, I didn't know anyone, and didn't really have anyone to eat with, so he took me out for dinner the first couple of nights we were on a road trip," said Angello, who says the two dined at a couple of nice steakhouses. "Talking to him about a lot of things other than hockey and just getting to know him, really cool. A story for a lifetime."

The kind of story you might hear in a taxi. Just make sure it's heading toward Pittsburgh.