Prospect Update: Sam Colangelo
By Thomas Harrington
A second round pick from 2020, forward Sam Colangelo just completed his sophomore year at Northeastern University.
After not playing much as a freshman, Colangelo saw a significant increase in playing time as a sophomore, and his offensive numbers jumped significantly as a result. Overall, he played in 29 games and scored 12 goals and 27 points, after only recording three assists in eight games the year before. He finished second on Northeastern in goals, assists, and points. He missed 10 games with injury but played some of his best hockey after he came back. He had three three-point games during the season and during one stretch he recorded points in eight of nine games.
I had two sets of expectations for Colangelo this past year, and he passed one with flying colors but missed out entirely on the second. My first expectation was for him to play significantly more hockey, which he certainly did. The second was for him to make the World Juniors tournament again, which he did not. He only had one goal in his previous World Juniors experience and I was hoping he’d have a chance to better that this year, but he wasn’t selected this time around.
Colangelo will be back at Northeastern for his junior season, and I have a couple of expectations for him. First, for him to play in all of Northeastern’s games this year. There’s no question he has the talent to do so, but he needs to stay healthy this season. Second, for him to break the 15 goal and 30 point marks. If he had been healthy all of last season, he probably would have scored at least 30 points. Finally, to be his team’s leading scorer. Aidan McDonough led Northeastern with 39 points last year. If Colangelo can overcome McDonough for the team scoring lead, it will be a sign of how far he has come since his freshman year.
Colangelo is still at least a year away from turning pro, maybe even two. After playing so little as a freshman, it was good to see him play in significantly more hockey this past season. Once he does turn pro, he’ll likely spend a year or two in San Diego, so the earliest I think we see him in Anaheim is the 2024-2025 season. If he can have a truly great final year of college, there’s a chance he could be brought up to Anaheim that much faster, similar to what Troy Terry did after his junior year
Colangelo is currently unsigned and the Ducks hold his rights until August 2024. If he has a good to great season this year, I think the Ducks will likely sign him next summer. However, if he regresses, expect him back at Northeastern for his senior year. The Ducks have two years to get him signed to an entry-level contract, so it’s not like they are about to lose his rights.
The next prospect update will be on Sasha Pastujov.
Related Articles:
Prospect Update: Trevor Janicke
Prospect Update: Jacob Perreault
Prospect Update: Artyom Galimov
Prospect Update: Albin Sundsvik
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September 24th, 2022