After an amazing junior career that saw Anthony Mantha score 87 goals in 87 games (regular season & playoffs) for the Val D'or Foreurs in 2013-14, which also earned him the CHL Player of the Year Award and a 2014 World Junior Championship that saw him post 5 goals and 6 Assists in 7 games, Anthony Mantha's Stock was on the rise.
Drafted by the Detroit Red Wings 20th Overall in 2013 the massive 6'5 power forward was set to break Red Wings tradition and earn his spot on the team as a 20 year old. However, that was all put on hold while playing the the Prospects Tournament in Traverse City, Mantha suffered a fractured tibia that would force him to sit out for 6-8 weeks and delaying his professional hockey debut.
On Wednesday, November 12th the Red Wings assigned Mantha to Grand Rapids of the AHL to get in some games, more or less the same as what the Tampa Bay Lightning did with Jonathan Drouin who had sustained a wrist injury in the pre-season. He made his pro debut November 14th at home against the Texas Stars who feature another one of my Players I collect Julius Honka. The Griffins managed to squeak out a 3-2 victory in Overtime and Mantha finished the night a minus 1 with 1 shot and 2 penalty minutes.
The following night the Griffins hosted the Stars again and 13:12 into the second period Mantha capitalized on his 1st Career AHL goal on a play from Andy Miele and Teemu Pulkkinen. The Griffins won the game 2-1 in Overtime. Now it's just a matter of establishing himself as a pro and climbing the ranks into the Red Wings line up. Being that he is part of a team that generally slowly develops its prospects I would not be surprised to see Mantha go up and down between the AHL and NHL just to further his development and make him a better professional, but I am hoping he does make the climb to the Red Wings so I can start collecting Rookie Cards sooner rather than later.
Drafted by the Detroit Red Wings 20th Overall in 2013 the massive 6'5 power forward was set to break Red Wings tradition and earn his spot on the team as a 20 year old. However, that was all put on hold while playing the the Prospects Tournament in Traverse City, Mantha suffered a fractured tibia that would force him to sit out for 6-8 weeks and delaying his professional hockey debut.
On Wednesday, November 12th the Red Wings assigned Mantha to Grand Rapids of the AHL to get in some games, more or less the same as what the Tampa Bay Lightning did with Jonathan Drouin who had sustained a wrist injury in the pre-season. He made his pro debut November 14th at home against the Texas Stars who feature another one of my Players I collect Julius Honka. The Griffins managed to squeak out a 3-2 victory in Overtime and Mantha finished the night a minus 1 with 1 shot and 2 penalty minutes.
The following night the Griffins hosted the Stars again and 13:12 into the second period Mantha capitalized on his 1st Career AHL goal on a play from Andy Miele and Teemu Pulkkinen. The Griffins won the game 2-1 in Overtime. Now it's just a matter of establishing himself as a pro and climbing the ranks into the Red Wings line up. Being that he is part of a team that generally slowly develops its prospects I would not be surprised to see Mantha go up and down between the AHL and NHL just to further his development and make him a better professional, but I am hoping he does make the climb to the Red Wings so I can start collecting Rookie Cards sooner rather than later.