By the Numbers: Anthony Mantha

By the Numbers will highlight the Red Wings' on-ice accomplishments in the 2017-18 season. Each week during the offseason, By the Numbers will profile a different player on the team, focusing on his statistical highs. This week we focus on forward Anthony Mantha.
There was a time when scoring goals came so easily to Anthony Mantha that he began to take it for granted.

During his junior career with the Val-d'Or Foreurs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), the 6-foot-5, 225-pound forward registered 260 points, including 129 goals in 189 games, for the Foreurs.
In his last season in Val-d'Or in 2013-14, Mantha totaled 120 points in 57 games with 57 goals and 63 assists. He was plus-35 and received 75 penalty minutes.
Mantha's 120 points ranked first in the league and he was named QMJHL First-Team All-Star in 2014.
Mantha also led Team Canada in scoring at the 2104 IIHF World Junior Championship in Malmo, Sweden. The Canadians didn't win a medal, finishing fourth, but in seven games, Mantha tallied five goals, six assists and was plus-6.
Drafted by Detroit in the first round of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, Mantha turned pro in 2015-16, appearing in 62 games for the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins. He had 15 goals among his 33 points as a rookie in Grand Rapids and was plus-5 with 65 penalty minutes.
Fifteen goals was a disappointing number for Mantha but he began the 2014-15 campaign on injured reserve after breaking his right tibia on September 15 in Traverse City during a game at the NHL Prospect Tournament. Mantha made his pro debut almost two months after his injury, on November 14 against the Texas Stars.
In 60 games in his second season with the Griffins, Mantha scored 21 goals among his 45 total points. He played in 132 games for Grand Rapids over three seasons (2013-14 through 2016-17), registering 44 goals and 44 assists for 88 points, was plus-20 and accumulated 102 penalty minutes.
Yet by Mantha's standards and the Red Wings' expectations, his statistics were ordinary. They were not the numbers of a player labeled as a goal-scoring machine.
Breaking his leg was a bit of bad luck at the beginning of his pro career, but it was Mantha's own attitude which impacted his first few seasons as a professional.
By his own admission, he believed the AHL would be an extension of the QMJHL.
In juniors, Mantha was extremely successful on nights where he would cruise up and down his wing and when he felt the urge, he'd unleash his booming shot and score a goal.
It was just that simple.
Since scoring came so naturally to him, Mantha developed some bad habits, convincing himself that when he decided to apply himself he could score at will.
When he realized the AHL wasn't a glorified QMJHL, he began to make the push towards becoming a Red Wing.
During his young career, Mantha has been called out at various times for not competing at a high enough level, for lacking intensity for a full 60 minutes and for not being a 200-foot player. It ate away at him.
Last season after a game in January, Mantha asked Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill to please show him what he was not doing on the ice. He was frustrated and confused and Blashill was more than happy to put together a series of videos breaking down the good, the bad and the ugly of Mantha's game.
Blashill, who also coached Mantha in Grand Rapids, knew Mantha has always had the desire to become a premier NHL player. He also realized the big winger needs to tap into his inner aggression to reach his full potential.
On locker room clean-out day at the end of last season, during his exit meeting with Blashill and general manager Ken Holland, Mantha told reporters they suggested he should take some boxing lessons during the offseason to learn how to incorporate his aggression to his game.
Holland and Blashill were not asking him to become tougher - Mantha can handle himself on the ice - they wanted him to play a little more amped up with a bit of a mean streak.
Last season was the final year of Mantha's three-year entry-level contract. On July 1, he became a restricted free agent without arbitration rights.
But Mantha seemed unconcerned about his contract status, telling the media on locker room clean-out day that he was seeking a two-year bridge deal and he hoped it would be resolved early in the summer because he didn't want it to be hanging over his head the entire offseason.
On July 11, Mantha signed a two-year contract with the Wings for $6.6 million with a cap hit of $3.3 million a season.
80 - Total games he played for the Red Wings last season. Mantha's 80 games played ranked third overall on the Wings. Captain Henrik Zetterberg, Dylan Larkin and Gustav Nyquist played in all 82 games for Detroit. Defensemen Jonathan Ericsson and Nick Jensen played in 81 games.
24 - His goal total for last season, which led the Red Wings. Nyquist was second with 21, Frans Nielsen, Larkin and Andreas Athanasiou were tied for third with 16 goals apiece. He also had 24 assists, which was fourth best on the Wings. Larkin led Detroit with 47 assists, followed by Zetterberg's 45 and Mike Green's 25.
48 -Mantha's point total, which was third on the Wings. Larkin led Detroit with 63 points and Zetterberg finished second with 56.
9 -Power-play goals he notched, which was tops on the Wings. Martin Frk was second in power-play goals with five.
12 -With three assists on the power play, Mantha's 12 power-play points were fourth highest on the Red Wings. Zetterberg accumulated the most power-play points with 18, followed by Niklas Kronwall with 15 and Green with 13.
52 -Total number of penalty minutes, which was fourth highest on the team. Justin Abdelkader had the most penalty minutes on the Wings with 78.
12.6 -Mantha's 12.6 shooting percentage led the Red Wings. Luke Glendening was second at 12.5 percent.
190 - Number of shots he fired on goal. His 190 shots were third on the Wings. Larkin had the most shots with 232; Nyquist was second with 213.
17:17 -His average ice time per game, which was ninth highest on the Red Wings and fourth highest among Detroit's forward corps. Green led the Wings in average ice time, clocking in at 22:03 per game. Larkin's 19:50 was tops among the forwards.
1 -On October 5, Mantha scored the first goal at Little Caesars Arena in the Wings' 4-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild. Frk and Green assisted on the goal. Mantha finished the game with a goal and two assists and he was named first star.
100 -Against the Florida Panthers on December 11, Mantha played in his 100th NHL game. He fired two shots on goal in 18:45 of ice time but was held scoreless in Detroit's 2-1 overtime loss at Little Caesars Arena.
20 -Detroit selected Mantha in the first round, 20th overall, in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. In the second round, the Wings picked Zach Nastasiuk 48th overall and Tyler Bertuzzi 58th overall. Detroit's third-round pick was Mattias Janmark, 79th overall, followed by fourth-round pick David Pope, 109th overall. In 150 games as a Red Wing, Mantha has 43 goals and 44 assists for 87 points, is plus-1 with 107 penalty minutes.