Will the RoughRiders keep DeAngelo?

Anthony DeAngelo says he'll return to the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders next season. Probably.

The 15-year-old defenseman has a Major decision to make about his hockey future. As high-end a player as the RoughRiders have ever had, the Sewell, N.J., resident is considered a possible first-round NHL draft pick in three years if he continues to progress.

Another sign of his potential came last week when the Sarnia Sting selected him in the second round of the Ontario Hockey League‘s Priority Draft. A Boston University commitment, he has to decide if his best route to pro hockey is Major Junior or college.

If it's college, he'll remain in the United States Hockey League. That would be in Cedar Rapids, though rumors abound the United States National Team Development Program has high interest in him.

DeAngelo shot down that possibility Tuesday. Major Junior players get a small stipend, thus cannot play college hockey.

“I haven't really thought too much about it, yet,” DeAngelo said. “But as of right now, I'm a RoughRider. That's the way I look at it.”

“We expect him to be back,” said RoughRiders Coach/General Manager Mark Carlson. “Right now, we've got the best development league in the world. He's in a place where his development is going to continue to grow on and off the ice.”

DeAngelo is the youngest player ever in the USHL, playing the early part of the 2010-11 season at 14. He was beginning to make a major impact for the Riders when he broke his kneecap getting in front of a slapshot in a late January game at Des Moines.

He didn't play again the rest of the season, finishing with a goal and 14 assists in 28 games.

“I still liked it a lot,” DeAngelo said of the USHL. “I got along with all the guys. It was a great year. Even with me and a couple other guys being out with injuries, we still won …  It's just been a fun year. The injury was bad. It was 28 games, I think I played. I was starting to get a little bit more comfortable. Slowly getting there.”