Prospect Info: Anthony Mantha

[nik jr]

hit 50 the year after he was drafted not in his draft year

mantha is one of very few players who missed the previous draft by 1 day, so i think going by age is as appropriate as by draft year.

 

[sully6one]

I would have personally liked to see the Wings take Mike McCarron with their first rounder, but Mantha does have an intriguing skill package.

The kid will be a third liner. He won't be anything special. Mantha has potential to be something very special.

 

[LastWordArmy]

The kid will be a third liner. He won't be anything special. Mantha has potential to be something very special.

Pegged (Mike McCarron) him to be very similar to Brian Boyle / Mike Rupp.

 

[Johnz96*]

I would have personally liked to see the Wings take Mike McCarron with their first rounder, but Mantha does have an intriguing skill package.

McCarron projects to be like a Gaustad and Mantha projects to be like a Jeff Carter.

 

[InjuredChoker]

Habs drafted him in mind with hopes that he would develop in to Lucic, I think.

 

[LastWordArmy]

He will not be a Lucic... not enough skill there.

 

[Mister Ed]

I guess the argument is that McCarron has the size and could be taught the skills, while Mantha has both size and skill, and that's why he was drafted where he was.

Judging from what Malik and Lindy have been reporting, he's confident and has been impressive during the camp. Good stuff.

 

[InjuredChoker]

He will not be a Lucic... not enough skill there.

That's what was said of Lucic after his draft year, fwiw.

I'd say chances aren't the best but still.

 

[Unfriendly Ghost]

I expect McCarron to become a giant Abdelkader.

 

[mindfly]

I guess the argument is that McCarron has the size and could be taught the skills, while Mantha has both size and skill, and that's why he was drafted where he was.

Judging from what Malik and Lindy have been reporting, he's confident and has been impressive during the camp. Good stuff.

I don't really like Malik but he also write some pretty negative stuff here:

#39 Anthony Mantha: I'm not allowed to tell you where I heard it, but I heard someone say that he's "*#$%@& soft," and I could see where that criticism came from. When there's a scoring opportunity, or there's a way for him to get the puck to the net, the frickin' giant-bodied, huge-wingspanned Mantha blossoms into a flurry of excitement, enthusiasm, hard work, remarkably deft skating for a man of his size and a sniper rifle of a wrist or snap or backhand shot. He's a good playmaker, too, and he can stand up to physical punishment.

But when the puck's not in scoring position, or he isn't, he looks like a 6'4," 170-pound kid with a smiley face drawn on his left glove (seriousy). His natural scoring ability is second only to Frk's, his creativity and enthusiasm are excellent, but his "compete" level away from a scoring position can be good and it can make him look like a boy in a giant's body.

Long story short: Top-top-top-shelf potential. But just as Frk says he has to be a better pro, Mantha acknowledges that he has to become a better player in terms of his engagement on a shift-by-shift basis, and he does.

http://kuklaskorner.com/tmr/comments/impressions-from-day-4-of-the-red-wings-development-camp

Despite this, Mantha is still my favourite prospect (or tied with Järnkrok when I think about it), The compete/mental part is something you should be able to teach and "fix". Simple as that.

 

[Mister Ed]

I expect McCarron to become a giant Abdelkader.

Which isn't a bad thing, but given he was picked 25th, it is kind of disappointing (if you want to say that being a 3rd -line NHLer is dissapointing )

 

[Johnz96*]

Which isn't a bad thing, but given he was picked 25th, it is kind of disappointing (if you want to say that being a 3rd -line NHLer is dissapointing )

There are top 5 picks that never developed into as much as 3rd liners. Getting an NHLer at 25 is doing good

Here's a list of the 25th overall picks from 1980 -2007
2007 Patrick White C Tri-City (USHL) Vancouver Canucks
2006 Patrik Berglund C Vasteras St. Louis Blues
2005 Andrew Cogliano C St. Michael's Buzzers (OPJHL) Edmonton Oilers
2004 Rob Schremp C London Knights (OHL) Edmonton Oilers
2003 Anthony Stewart RW Kingston Frontenacs (OHL) Florida Panthers
2002 Cam Ward G Red Deer Rebels (WHL) Carolina Hurricanes
2001 Alexander Perezhogin RW Omsk Avangard (Russia) Montreal Canadiens
2000 Steve Ott C Windsor Spitfires (OHL) Dallas Stars
1999 Mikhail Kuleshov LW Cherepovets Severstal (Russia) Colorado Avalanche
1998 Jiri Fischer D Hull Olympiques (QMJHL) Detroit Red Wings
1997 Brenden Morrow LW Portland Winter Hawks (WHL) Dallas Stars
1996 Peter Ratchuk D Shattuck St. Mary's [Minn H.S.] Colorado Avalanche
1995 Marc Denis G Chicoutimi Sagueneens (QMJHL) Colorado Avalanche
1994 Vadim Sharifijanov LW Ufa Salavat (Russia) New Jersey Devils
1993 Kevyn Adams C Miami University (Ohio) (NCAA) Boston Bruins
1992 Chad Penney LW North Bay Centennials (OHL) Ottawa Senators
1991 Eric Lavigne D Hull Olympiques (QMJHL) Washington Capitals
1990 Chris Simon LW Ottawa 67's (OHL) Philadelphia Flyers
1989 Dan Ratushny D Cornell University (NCAA) Winnipeg Jets
1988 Mark Major LW North Bay Centennials (OHL) Pittsburgh Penguins
1987 Stephane Matteau LW Hull Olympiques (QMJHL) Calgary Flames
1986 Dave Capuano LW Mount St. Charles H.S. (R.I.) Pittsburgh Penguins
1985 Troy Gamble G Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL) Vancouver Canucks
1984 Todd Gill D Windsor Spitfires (OHL) Toronto Maple Leafs
1983 Lane Lambert RW Saskatoon Blades (WHL) Detroit Red Wings
1981 Kevin Griffin Portland Winter Hawks (WHL) Chicago Blackhawks
1980 Craig Muni

 

[Johnz96*]

Habs drafted him in mind with hopes that he would develop in to Lucic, I think.

He is tall but he is not strong and tough like Lucic or McKee. (And without his strength and toughness Lucic is not even an NHLer)
Here's a vid of him (McCarron) getting taken down by McKee's 5'10" 165lb teammate Jimmy Devito. Looks like he is fighting Danny Devito.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpRpFaREzcQ

 

[Frk It]

delete

 

[WesNichols14]

What are these guys doing on this list?

Brenden Morrow spent time on the 1st line in Dallas for awhile. He was #1 in ice time among forwards for the Stars during the 03-04 season.

Berglund was # 3 in minutes for the Blues last year and is a top 6 player for them.

they were drafted 25th overall I'm guessing which is what the list was of

 

[Johnz96*]

they were drafted 25th overall I'm guessing which is what the list was of

That's what it is and most of them never even became regulars in the NHL.
I copied and pasted the list and it is missing 1982 for some reason. In 82 the Leafs drafted Peter Inhacek 25th and he did better than most 25th picks finishing with 267 points in 417 games