Flyers’ Tony DeAngelo says he isn’t who you think he is. And he’s ready to prove it to hometown fans.

Rewind 20 years and peek inside Birches Elementary School and chances are a young Tony DeAngelo was sporting some Flyers gear.

“Anybody that knows me, especially my whole life, growing up, knows I was a crazy, crazy Flyers fan,” DeAngelo recently told The Inquirer. “Every day, I had something on, a Flyers hoodie or a Flyers T-shirt or a Flyers hat at school.”

DeAngelo had a fieriness to him, too, and sometimes that got him into trouble, including when he woke up his older siblings with his yelling at the Flyers on TV. That fire came out on the ice as well, as DeAngelo developed into one of the best players in the Philadelphia area. But as he got older, his temper on the ice occasionally flared out of control, resulting in suspensions, fines, and almost a full year out of hockey in 2021.

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DeAngelo said these tough lessons gave him time to reflect, mature, and learn from his past. But in July, when the hometown Flyers traded for him, he realized that everything may have happened for a reason.

“Obviously, that year in New York was really tough, but without that year in New York, I probably don’t get to Carolina and then don’t get to Philadelphia,” DeAngelo said.

Every Christmas, DeAngelo knew what one of the gifts under the tree would be. Without fail, he’d find a little box and tear open the wrapping paper to discover Flyers tickets. The gift never got old.

Watching his heroes like Jeremy Roenick, Peter Forsberg, and Mike Richards, the young defenseman tried to model his game after the tough team that represented the blue-collar city.

Almost everyone in DeAngelo’s family was born in Philly, but they had moved to Sewell, Gloucester County, by the time Tony was born. As a result, he skated out of Hollydell Ice Arena, the same rink that produced Johnny Gaudreau.

When DeAngelo turned 11, he was chosen to represent the Flyers at the historic Quebec peewee tournament.

“The first time we wore that [Flyers] jersey, we were young kids,” DeAngelo said. “We thought it was the coolest thing ever. We thought we were, like, wearing the NHL jersey for the first time ever.”

From there, DeAngelo blossomed into one of the best amateur prospects the Philadelphia area has produced.

However, his rise was marred by controversy.

In 2014, while playing for the OHL’s Sarnia Sting, DeAngelo was suspended eight games for violating the league’s Harassment, Abuse and Diversity policy following an argument with a teammate. What exactly he said is not public knowledge, but the Sting revealed it was DeAngelo’s second violation of that policy.

“The stuff that happened in juniors was inexcusable,” DeAngelo said. “I’m not going to lie and say ‘Oh, it was when I was 16.’ It is what it is. I said it. I can’t take it back. But I learned from it, and it never happened again.”

DeAngelo’s temper also led to run-ins with officials, and he was suspended once and ejected once in juniors.

Nonetheless, given his immense talent, DeAngelo was selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning with the 19th overall pick in the 2014 draft.

DeAngelo never suited up for the Lightning, as after one season with their AHL affiliate he was traded to the Arizona Coyotes in June 2016.

He scored in his NHL debut for Arizona and showed flashes offensively, but he also earned another suspension for assaulting a referee.

The following year, DeAngelo was traded again, this time to the New York Rangers, with whom he’d play the next four seasons. His breakout campaign came in 2019-20, when he scored 15 goals in 68 games. His 53 points were tied for fourth among all NHL defensemen, and the Rangers rewarded him with a two-year, $9.6 million contract extension. DeAngelo, then 24, seemed poised for stardom.

There had been minor incidents along the way — he was a healthy scratch several times under coach David Quinn, once for a “maturity issue.” Then on Jan. 31, 2021, things came to a head when DeAngelo reportedly got into a physical altercation with Rangers goalie Alexandar Georgiev.

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“He has played his last game for the Rangers,” then-general manager Jeff Gorton said the following day.

Following the season, the Rangers placed DeAngelo on unconditional waivers, allowing them to buy out his contract. The defenseman had played only six games after signing his extension.

DeAngelo owns up to all of it — except the accusations of racism. All of the incidents go back to his competitive nature, he said, and while he said something he shouldn’t have as a teenager, he said he has learned from his mistakes.

“I think people try to tie that [juniors incident] into what happened in New York, and you’re talking about totally different things,” DeAngelo said. “The New York situation. If I wanted to dive into it, I think people would have a totally different perspective.”

DeAngelo doesn’t want to “dive into it,” but he knew to get back into the NHL, he’d have to, at least with NHL teams. He also knew he needed to be truthful, as any team that came calling would do its due diligence.

That team proved to be the Carolina Hurricanes, who signed DeAngelo to a one-year, $1 million contract on July 28, 2021.

“They embraced me right away, which I really appreciate and always will appreciate and be grateful for,” DeAngelo said.

DeAngelo promised them they’d get the best version of himself in terms of performance and behavior. He kept that promise.

In 64 games, he had 10 goals and 51 points, finished with a plus-30 rating, and produced no major drama. DeAngelo starred on the power play and made strides defensively to form one of the top pairings in the league alongside Jaccob Slavin. He also said he grew as a person by watching former Flyer Rod Brind’Amour, a coach who he said is impossible not to respect.

But once it became clear the Hurricanes wouldn’t be re-signing him, DeAngelo told his agent that Philadelphia was where he wanted to be.

On July 9, DeAngelo participated in his introductory news conference as a Flyer and fielded questions about his past.

For the next few months, Flyers fans and critics were left to build their opinions of him off of 12 minutes of his responses relating to the controversial incidents from his career.

Meanwhile, DeAngelo’s new coach, John Tortorella, vehemently defended his defenseman.

“The thing that bothers me and some of the things I’ve read is people are upset about Tony DeAngelo,” Tortorella told NBC Sports in July. “Tony DeAngelo’s a hell of a player, Tony DeAngelo has personality. Is he going to say and do some stupid stuff? You’re damn right he is. But I’d rather have a guy doing stupid stuff than having a choirboy here just going about your business.”

Like DeAngelo, Tortorella has struggled to control his emotions at times and has faced consequences (in the form of $149,000 worth of fines) and comes to Philadelphia with a reputation.

“It means a lot to me as a player, especially with what I’ve been through in my career, for a guy to come out there that I haven’t even touched the ice for yet and support me like that,” DeAngelo said.

DeAngelo hopes their similar character traits and a shared love of old-school hockey will be a good foundation for their relationship. Neither is scared by confrontation, and DeAngelo and Tortorella believe that can be healthy within a team.

Skating, passing, puck skills, competition level, power-play prowess, a right shot.

On July 8, general manager Chuck Fletcher sat at a podium at the NHL draft in Montreal explaining why the Flyers had traded for DeAngelo.

“Certainly, the things that Tony is good at, he’ll really help our team,” Fletcher said. “Those are a lot of our weaknesses.”

The 26-year-old has twice scored double-digit goals and had more than 50 points, including last season. He’s also an elite power-play facilitator, racking up 18 assists last season with the man advantage. Fletcher also believes DeAngelo’s outlet passing will help the Flyers break out of the defensive zone easier, one of the team’s biggest issues last season.

DeAngelo does come with questions defensively. He is on the smaller side (5-foot-11, 180 pounds), which poses certain limitations. He also tends to gamble at times in the offensive zone and like most playmaking defensemen can be prone to turnovers. But he doesn’t lack the ability to compete in the defensive zone, and DeAngelo said he has worked hard on improving his defense over the years.

The Flyers are expecting big things from DeAngelo, as they were willing to trade away three draft picks and commit $10 million to him. Fletcher also knew the trade would lead to backlash given DeAngelo’s past.

“Again, he’s made some mistakes and he’s apologized for them,” said Fletcher in July. “He’s suffered consequences for them. Some of the mistakes earlier in his career, he hasn’t had any repeat offenses so to speak. Again, I think he’s maturing and from everything we can gather, he’s working hard to be a better person both on and off the ice.”

With Ryan Ellis likely out for the season, DeAngelo will slot in on the top pair with Ivan Provorov and be counted on for major minutes.

“I think he’s going to be a great addition for us,” said defenseman Travis Sanheim. “His IQ, the way he sees the ice, especially offensively when he’s got the puck on his stick, he’s got quite a bit of poise and seems to make the better play more times than not. That’s going to be fun to watch.”

DeAngelo has missed his family’s restaurants, their homemade cheesesteaks, and the Philly sports teams the most. He loves his hometown, and he’s hoping Philadelphia will appreciate that.

Already, DeAngelo’s coach and teammates have spoken up in support of him. Center Kevin Hayes posted on Instagram after the trade was announced, while winger Cam Atkinson said he’s looking forward to DeAngelo helping the power play. Sanheim added that DeAngelo has brought a taste of Philly to the locker room.

“You can just tell the excitement, whether it’s the Eagles, the Phillies, you name it, he’s on board,” Sanheim said.

Rob Baer, the Flyers’ director of youth and amateur hockey, said DeAngelo is the player he’s most excited to meet. Several of the local kids DeAngelo works with played on the Flyers peewee team, and Baer watched the way they texted with DeAngelo.

“I was like, ‘Really? You guys know him that well?’” Baer said. “They were like ,‘Yeah, yeah, we skate with him all the time and he’s always asking how we’re doing, wanting updates from Quebec.’”

But some remain less thrilled, whether it’s because of DeAngelo’s past or the high price the Flyers paid to acquire him. DeAngelo won’t waste his breath trying to persuade those people that he’s a good person. Instead, he hopes to show them through his actions.

Already, he has met with season ticket holders and fans in the community. He also plans to amp up his work with local youths, and he’s still figuring out how to get involved with other causes he’s passionate about, like supporting veterans, helping animals, and fighting pediatric cancer.

To this point, DeAngelo’s NHL journey has been filled with bumps, ones that are always just a Google search away, but the path still brought him home.

“It was always a lifelong dream to be a Flyer,” DeAngelo said. “It kind of started to fade a bit because it didn’t seem realistic for a good while there.

“But the chance to put that jersey on in a real game in front of a home crowd in the home city is going to be pretty special for me.”