AMHERST — The external expectations on Anthony Del Gaizo when he came to UMass last year were probably unrealistic.
The sophomore from Basking Ridge, New Jersey, was the 2017-18 USHL Player of the Year after leading the league with 40 goals and 72 points in 60 regular-season games for the Muskegon Lumberjacks. He was a scoring machine that many expected would be able to add secondary scoring to the Minutemen.
Yet, Del Gaizo was unable to train during the summer thanks to a shoulder injury, and he was limited when he first arrived at Amherst. Although he ended up playing in UMass’ opener last year, he clearly wasn’t the same player that was the MVP of his league months before.
Now with a healthy summer under his belt, Del Gaizo has started to grow into the player coach Greg Carvel and his staff expected he could be when they recruited him to Amherst.
“It’s the kids that go home in the summer on a mission that come back and they’re better players,” Carvel said. “His first summer, he wasn’t able to train because of his shoulder and he made up for it this year and now he looks like the player that we thought he could be. He’s just going to outwill you and that’s what he did on his first goal (Saturday against Union), he outwilled the other player and found a way to get the puck then outwilled the goalie. He has those intangibles that made him a really good player at the junior level and makes him an effective player for us.”
Del Gaizo missed last week’s game against Northeastern with a minor injury, but returned to score three points while playing on the top line last weekend against Union. His goal, which came 57 seconds into Saturday’s 5-0 win, was all about outworking his opponent to a loose puck and then having the hands to finish off the play with a goal. It’s a symbol that Del Gaizo is playing more freely than he did last season and has more faith in his abilities.
He said although the summer was important for him to develop physically, it had a greater effect on making him stronger mentally.
“It gives me a lot of peace of mind that I’ve practiced and I’ve played and I’m in condition,” Del Gaizo said. “I know I can make plays just because I’ve been practicing them all summer. Definitely makes me feel good about myself and gives me confidence in my game.”
Last season, Del Gaizo scored 10 points in 36 games while playing on the fourth line as more of a grinder. He wasn’t relied upon to be a scorer, just to use his determination and strength to be a heavy body teams had to play against. When he did score, they weren’t very pretty goals, but the gritty ones that coaches appreciate from their players.
Now, Del Gaizo is being asked to both be the gritty fourth-liner who uses his body as an asset, but also be more of a scorer on the Minutemen’s top line. He said he watched a lot of film during the offseason and dissected his skills to be able to adapt to the next level, and he knew that being a nuisance around the crease was going to be an important part of his game.
“I knew I was always good around the net, that’s where I seem to score all my goals,” Del Gaizo said. “That just got highlighted last year and that’s somewhere I’m going to try to be all the time this year.”
Carvel said there is still more Del Gaizo can do to improve as a player and become more effective at the collegiate level, but that there are bright spots from the first four games this year. He said once it all clicks for the sophomore, he will be a dangerous player for the Minutemen.
“He still has a ways to go, but he’s starting to realize what his niche is at this level,” Carvel said. “When he figures it out completely, he’s going to be a really effective player. Four games into his sophomore year, he’s starting to take big stride and that’s a good sign.”
DEL GAIZO PART II — UMass is expecting Marc Del Gaizo, Anthony’s brother, back into the fold Friday against AIC after offseason shoulder surgery sidelined the defenseman for four games.
Also a sophomore, Marc Del Gaizo scored 13 goals and added 16 assists last year as a freshman while paired with Cale Makar. Del Gaizo’s return should help the Minutemen’s power play be more effective with six of his goals coming on the man advantage.
“He adds to the offense,” Carvel said. “He’s competitive, really good in his own end. He’s just a complete player that will really add to everything – power play, penalty kill, 5-on-5 – he makes us a better team.”
Josh Walfish can be reached at jwalfish@gazettenet.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshWalfishDHG. Get UMass coverage delivered in your Facebook news feed at www.facebook.com/GazetteUMassCoverage.