Winged Pride is going to take advantage of the move to Weebly by rewriting some articles, starting with some more specific player profiles. Winged Pride will go more in depth with the top players in the system. We already covered Petr Mrazek, and today we will cover Anthony Mantha. Click the jump for the rest of the article.
Mantha is a big guy at 6'4" and 190 pounds. He needs to get a little bit stronger, but for where he is at in development he is moving along just fine. He was Detroit's first selection in the 2013 entry level draft taken 20th overall. Mantha is one of the most highly touted Wings prospects in a long time. His potential is through the roof and Mantha should really excel going forward.
Mantha's size allows him to be really strong on the puck. That paired with his ability to protect the puck allows him to take the puck to the net for high percentage shots. He is a goal scoring machine. Currently, through 30 games played in the QJMHL he has 68 points(32 goals 36 assists). This puts him on pace to get around 150 points through the end of the year. He is averaging a little bit more than 1 goal and 1 assist per game. Mantha can score so much for a few reasons, but mainly because he has an absolutely deadly shot. It is extremely strong and he has elite accuracy. He can snipe, throw in stray rebounds around the net, and has the ability to make some moves around guys to open ice to get breakaways. Although he isn't a wizard with the puck he can get creative at times. Mantha is a strong skater, he isn't a burner but his speed makes it hard to be caught from behind, keeping the game in front of him, which keeps him moving forward gaining momentum. Mantha will need to get stronger if he is to continue to be effective at higher level. However his shot will absolutely transfer to the next level. His speed should still be an asset, but he will need to be smarter about it where and how he accelerates. He is He has been compared to James Neal, however if he is to play in the Wings system, he is going to have to be stronger on defense and play a more effective two way game. Mantha is a first line, top potential prospect.
For Mantha to reach his potential he is going to need to improve his game in a few areas. He needs to strengthen his defensive game. He is too offensively minded and as a result needs to strengthen his defensive and transitional game. To be an effective first line player on the Red Wings he needs to be as strong defensively as he is offensively or he won't see a lot of ice time (see Jiri Hudler). Mantha needs to play with skilled players who can give him the puck in space. He has elite finishing ability, but he won't often make his own plays. Mantha needs to use his size more. He isn't as physical as he could be. He is a big enough guy where he could assert himself and win puck battles but he is afraid to use his body. The biggest knock on Mantha is his lack of a compete level. The term compete level is hard to define, but it's clear that Mantha needs to drive harder, hit harder and assert himself more. He doesn't work as hard as other players. He can get by on this now because he is significantly more skilled than everyone else, however when the competition gets more stiff he needs to play a complete game to keep up with the other players.
With all that being said, these are things that are doable. These flaws can be fixed and he can become a complete player. His strengths are things that are unique. His natural knack for scoring is a special rare skill. He can be a finisher on a top line in the NHL and he can be a major contributor on a good team. He should play on the Griffins next year and the year after that before he begins to sniff the NHL. He's got a long way to go, but the future looks quite bright for this kid.
Mantha's size allows him to be really strong on the puck. That paired with his ability to protect the puck allows him to take the puck to the net for high percentage shots. He is a goal scoring machine. Currently, through 30 games played in the QJMHL he has 68 points(32 goals 36 assists). This puts him on pace to get around 150 points through the end of the year. He is averaging a little bit more than 1 goal and 1 assist per game. Mantha can score so much for a few reasons, but mainly because he has an absolutely deadly shot. It is extremely strong and he has elite accuracy. He can snipe, throw in stray rebounds around the net, and has the ability to make some moves around guys to open ice to get breakaways. Although he isn't a wizard with the puck he can get creative at times. Mantha is a strong skater, he isn't a burner but his speed makes it hard to be caught from behind, keeping the game in front of him, which keeps him moving forward gaining momentum. Mantha will need to get stronger if he is to continue to be effective at higher level. However his shot will absolutely transfer to the next level. His speed should still be an asset, but he will need to be smarter about it where and how he accelerates. He is He has been compared to James Neal, however if he is to play in the Wings system, he is going to have to be stronger on defense and play a more effective two way game. Mantha is a first line, top potential prospect.
For Mantha to reach his potential he is going to need to improve his game in a few areas. He needs to strengthen his defensive game. He is too offensively minded and as a result needs to strengthen his defensive and transitional game. To be an effective first line player on the Red Wings he needs to be as strong defensively as he is offensively or he won't see a lot of ice time (see Jiri Hudler). Mantha needs to play with skilled players who can give him the puck in space. He has elite finishing ability, but he won't often make his own plays. Mantha needs to use his size more. He isn't as physical as he could be. He is a big enough guy where he could assert himself and win puck battles but he is afraid to use his body. The biggest knock on Mantha is his lack of a compete level. The term compete level is hard to define, but it's clear that Mantha needs to drive harder, hit harder and assert himself more. He doesn't work as hard as other players. He can get by on this now because he is significantly more skilled than everyone else, however when the competition gets more stiff he needs to play a complete game to keep up with the other players.
With all that being said, these are things that are doable. These flaws can be fixed and he can become a complete player. His strengths are things that are unique. His natural knack for scoring is a special rare skill. He can be a finisher on a top line in the NHL and he can be a major contributor on a good team. He should play on the Griffins next year and the year after that before he begins to sniff the NHL. He's got a long way to go, but the future looks quite bright for this kid.