I think even the staunchest AHL beat writer would find it difficult not to end up with ‘favourite’ players covering this league and I am as susceptible to that, especially when there is a great story behind the human being.

Part six features a player who barely featured in half a season for the Toronto Marlies but made a strong impression on me through his work ethic, speed and ability to score when the opportunity to do so presented itself.

Tony Cameranesi was somewhat of a surprising fifth-round selection by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2011 NHL Draft after playing three years in Minnesota High-School hockey (Wayzata High).

Cameranesi played one season for Waterloo Black Hawks in the USHL before opting to go the NCAA route with the University of Minnesota-Duluth.

During his four years in the NCAA, Toronto allowed his signing rights to expire but that didn’t deter the Plymouth native, who finished with forty-one goals and eighty-three assists for 124 points in 152 outings for Minnesota-Duluth.

That led to the Toronto Marlies offering the centre man an ATO at the backend of the 2015-16 AHL campaign.
Cameranesi made his debut on April 1st, 2016 and it was no joke as he was allowed to succeed on a line with Brendan Leipsic and Matt Frattin.
Though not registering a point in his professional bow, both his linemates would get themselves on the board in a 4-3 win against the Syracuse Crunch.

The following day, Toronto played Grand Rapids Griffins and the Minnesota born-forward made a huge impact with a first pro goal and it was one to remember as he was set on a partial breakaway by Taylor Doherty and made no mistake with an emphatic finish past Jared Coreau.

Cameranesi would go on to net a second goal, equally as nice, as he featured in six, end-of-season outings for the Marlies before the playoffs began in earnest.

Impressive performances in such a short stint led to Toronto offering the college graduate an AHL deal for the following season which he ended up splitting between the ECHL and American League.

In 43 outings for the Orlando Solar Bears, Cameranesi recorded 28 points in 43 games including fifteen goals.
Back at the AHL level, his offensive output wasn’t quite as sizeable in a lesser role though he again scored some very nice goals.

However, seven points (4-3-7) in thirty-one games and the Toronto organisation wanting to utilise the roster more for their drafted prospects, led to the parting of ways and Camerensi requiring to find a new home to play hockey.

The Manchester Monarchs of the ECHL penned the 5’9” for two straight seasons though on each occasion he suited up on both occasions for loan stints with the Utica Comets.

The 2018-19 campaign was a successful one for Camerensi personally as he found the net 24 times for the Monarchs through fifty-five games, adding a further 29 assists in the process.

Just nineteen games in the AHL for the comets during which he registered a goal and three assists led to a new challenge in the most recent season brought abruptly to a halt.
Camerenesi opted to sign in Norway with Storhamar and it proved to be a successful first venture outside of North America.

With eighteen goals and fifty points, he finished second on the team in both those categories as the Norwegian outfit was sitting second in the league standings before things were curtailed by the Coronavirus pandemic.

If Tony’s surname sounds familiar to you, that might well be because his sister, Dani, is an accomplished hockey player as well although it appears she may have retired to go into the media side of the sport.
Dani Camenresei played for the Buffalo Beauts during the 2018-19 NWHL season and is an Olympic Gold Medalist and World Champion whilst representing the USA.

Tony Camerenesi recorded 21 points in 90 AHL outings and a perfect hundred points (43-57-100) in 119 ECHL games.

Like many hockey professionals, his future for next season is not certain but I would not be surprised to see him continue his European adventures, possibly even in the UK.