A punctured lung cost Mantha nearly two months in 2019-20, but he was effective when healthy. The winger produced 16 goals and 38 points in 43 appearances. Mantha is probably the most gifted of all Red Wings forwards, but he's yet to crack the 50-point mark in four full seasons. That'll be the target for the first-round pick from 2013 this season, who will be entering his age-26 campaign. Expect Mantha to be a top-line winger who receives plenty of power-play chances in 2020-21. He should push the 25-goal threshold while adding solid totals in shots on goal and hits.
Blessed with a 6-foot-5, 214-pound frame that clogs the crease, Mantha has the potential to be a scoring machine in the NHL. Last season, he established a career-best offensive pace (0.37 goals per game), with the hulking net-front winger bulging twine 24 times through 67 contests. Mantha stood up for prized teammate Dylan Larkin at the expense of a broken hand in early December, and while it cost him 15 games, the Red Wings coaching staff liked seeing more grit from the typically gentle giant. Consistency will be key for Mantha in his fifth season. He recorded his first career hat trick last year and finished with 15 points in the final eight games, but his compete level is still sometimes a question mark. While there are much safer fantasy options out there, Mantha's entering his prime with plenty of upside to drill into.
Mantha quietly led the Red Wings with 24 goals and finished third in total points (48) in 2017-18. Listed at 6-foot-5 and 225 pounds, he's a net-front resident who naturally casts a significant blind spot to the detriment of opposing goalies. Mantha is a great bet to reprise his top-six role and he should continue averaging greater than two minutes of power-play ice time each game. He rarely plays to his Bunyanesque size, but the Quebec native has been taking boxing classes in order to toughen up and alter his approach to the game. If the plan works and Mantha startings playing with more consistency, he could catapult to the elite crop of fantasy wingers in 2018-19.
While Mantha failed to crack the Opening Night roster, he wound up as one of Detroit's most dangerous scorers after a relatively minor knee injury to Andreas Athanasiou opened the door for the power winger last November. A tank at 6-foot-5, 214 pounds, Mantha amassed 36 points (17 goals, 19 assists) over 60 games as a 22-year-old, and his plus-10 rating was second only to captain Henrik Zetterberg and his plus-15 clip. Mantha's rocket launch to fantasy relevance was expected, given his status as the 20th overall pick from the 2013 draft, but coach Jeff Blashill actually benched him late in the year, claiming that he'd witnessed bad habits in the net-front winger's game; the good news is that the move seemed to shield the youngster from complacency. A finger injury on his right hand would rule Mantha out for the final five games, but he avoided surgery and should be all systems go for the 2017-18 campaign. A sophomore slump is a rational fear for fantasy owners investing in Mantha (see: Dylan Larkin), though he'll still be counted on heavily during the man advantage and should easily eclipse the 15:54 of ice time he picked up as a rookie. Consider targeting Mantha around the middle rounds of most drafts.
Mantha is one of the most intriguing prospects in Detroit’s system. He caught the eye of general manager Ken Holland for sinking a league-best 50 goals with Val d’Or Foreurs of the QMJHL in 2012-13, setting the tone for Wings brass to make him the 20th overall draft selection in 2013. The fun didn’t stop there, as Mantha virtually melted the ice with 120 points – including averaging a goal per game – in his final junior year. Mantha broke his leg in the NHL Prospects Tournament in September of 2014, temporarily sidetracking his development, though the 6-foot-5 power winger rebounded nicely and produced 78 points with AHL Grand Rapids over the past two regular seasons. Mantha will turn 22 in September, but he’s already been involved in postseason play below the NHL level for five straight years. With Pavel Datsyuk leaving for Russia this offseason, the Red Wings are expected to widen the spigot on the fountain of youth, and Mantha is sure to be in that mix.
After exploding for 120 points in the QMJHL in 2013-14, expectations were high for Mantha entering his first pro season. The 20-year-old was a disappointment, however, scoring just 15 goals and 33 points in 62 games with AHL Grand Rapids. The production drop was surely influenced to an extent by the broken leg Mantha suffered in the NHL Prospect Tournament last September, which sidelined him throughout training camp and delayed his start to the season. Once he was further removed from the injury, Mantha seemed to settle in a little better at the pro level, ultimately finishing seventh in goals for Grand Rapids. Now that he'll be entering camp at full health this season, Mantha should be poised to reassert himself as one of hockey's top prospects, and eventually see time with the Red Wings at some point in 2015-16. It may not be until the following season that he enjoys a full-time role with the parent club, but 6-foot-5, 214-pound winger is destined to become a long-term offensive threat at the NHL level, and remains worth stashing in dynasty formats.
Mantha has torn up the QMJHL the last two seasons, including a 120-point and plus-34 season in 2013-14. The Red Wings have high hopes for the burly winger, but it will probably take another year or two before he gets a hard look with the parent club. While he won't be eligible to play in another World Juniors, he will likely have more than enough playing time in the AHL to make up for it. Mantha did suffer a fractured tibia during September’s prospects tournament, but he’s expected to be ready to go at some point in November.
Mantha, the first-round selection of Detroit in 2013, led the QMJHL in goals last season with 50. He still has a bit to learn in the lower levels, but certainly has the talent to make it to the NHL and contribute in the next few years.
