SPITFIRES ANGLE ANGLING FOR PROFESSIONAL DEAL
Unsigned Columbus draft pick released from Blue Jackets training camp Monday
Like many of his Windsor Spitfires teammates, overage prospect Tyler Angle was just sitting at home hoping an Ontario Hockey League season would fall into place at some point.
Then, just prior to Christmas, Angle got a phone call from Columbus Blue Jackets director of player personnel Chris Clark, who invited him to the team's NHL training camp.
“I wasn't expecting it,” Angle said. “That was four days before Christmas. It was kind of a quick turnaround.”
The 20-year-old Angle was coming off a solid season with the Spitfires where he shared the team's scoring lead with 29 goals and 67 points in 62 games. Still, a seventh-round pick by the Blue Jackets in the 2019 NHL draft, Angle hasn't signed an entry-level contract and was the only such player in camp with the club. The club has two years after selecting a player to sign them to an entry-level deal.
“No, I'm not signed,” he said. “Right now, I think I'm the only player unsigned. Coming off a good season in Windsor helped. I'm just (in camp) as a drafted player hoping to show what I can do.”
Angle wasn't expecting to stay with Columbus and he was one of five players released by the club on Monday.
“There were only 34 guys in camp and I was one, and that kind of boosts the confidence,” Angle said.
Angle credits his first camp experience with Columbus for his 23-point improvement in scoring last season and becoming a plus/minus rating of plus-13 on the ice after being a minus-11 the previous season.
“Just to train with NHL guys is amazing,” Angle said. “Last year was cool, we had a rookie tournament and some guys signed. Then, when I went to main camp, I learned a lot and brought it back to my game.
“This year's a little different. I've skated with those guys and it's still a different feeling with how they handle day-to-day training, how they practice and it's different.”
It wasn't an easy camp to jump into for Angle. Like most of his junior hockey teammates, the five-foot-10, 172-pound centre had little on-ice action before heading to Columbus and also had to quarantine before camp.
“I was training in summer and it's not the easiest to get back up to game speed,” Angle said. “I was just at home training and there's not games, so it was incredible to get the call.
“I flew there on Christmas, so I missed Christmas with my family and I was in a hotel room for seven days. The only time you could leave was to get tested. I got tested over a dozen times and after seven days you could go to the rink.”
Still not signed, Angle isn't sure if he'll get a chance to play with the club's American Hockey League team in Cleveland, but would not be surprised to eventually land back in Windsor and, with another good season, have a chance to sign that pro contract.
“No word on what'll happen,” Angle said. “What I was asked was to give everything I have (in camp).”
The OHL had hoped to start its season Feb. 4, but new COVID-19 restrictions in the province forced the league to put its plans on hold for an undetermined period of time.
There were only 34 guys in camp and I was one, and that kind of boosts the confidence.
“I believe there will be a season,” Angle said. “From what everyone is talking about, there'll be a season.
“It won't be the same. It'll be shorter and I'm not 100 per cent sure what's going on. There's no official date, but I hope so because it's a good backup plan for me.
“I'm excited to come back (to the Spitfires) and we'd have a really good team. I'm hoping (the league) makes it happen.”