Much like Dylan Larkin’s debut with the Wings, lots of heads turned when Anthony Mantha was called up from the Griffins, especially so late in the season, with the playoffs in the balance.

However, the 2013 first round pick impressed in his 10 games with the Wings, giving Red Wings fans a taste of what is to come. So, it’s time to evaluate how he did. Keep in mind, this is only 10 games in limited ice time, so take all of this evaluation with a grain of salt.

Over 10 games, Mantha put up three points, two of them goals. It should be noted that both goals were on the power play, while the assist was a secondary assist, so take those points as you will. It should be noted that, while playing in the same net front role on the power play as Abdelkader, Mantha was much better in that role, with a PP G60 of 6.58, compared to Abdelkader’s 1.46. His -6 is a bit concerning, but once we dig deeper into his stats, we’ll probably find out the problem. Also, his 1.8 shots per game is a slightly low total, but that’s about what to expect from a rookie.

Mantha put up excellent possession numbers in his limited ice time this season, with a 54.36% CF at 5v5. However, most of his even strength ice time was spent with Pavel Datsyuk, so take those numbers as you will. His defense is average, as shown by his 53.77 CA60, but his offense is really good, with a 64.04 CF60. Also, 2.4 iCF per game definitely aren’t terrible numbers for a rookie.

His GF% is an early cause for concern, as while his GF60 is quite solid, his GA60 looks very terrible. However, his 28.57% GF% is likely the cause of bad luck in the early going of his career. His on ice shooting percentage is a mediocre 6.15%, while it looks like the goalies couldn’t stop a beach ball with him on the ice, stopping only 80.39% of the shots. This is likely the cause of his -6 rating.

Scoring Chances:

His scoring chances fair better than his goal numbers. His 53.06% SCF% once again shows solid potential, but like his Corsi, he played a lot with Datsyuk, so we’ll have to see how he fares with worse teammates.

Like all his non goal-based numbers have shown, he’s proven that he can be a solid driver of play when with Datsyuk, which I guess is better than being extremely terrible with Datsyuk.

I think some reasonable expectations for Mantha is to see him in the lineup on a consistent basis next season, getting a good amount of ice time. Ideally, he’ll have a season similar to Larkin’s rookie season. Maybe not as good, but something in the 30-40 point range would be something to expect. We’ll have to see how good he does without playing alongside Datsyuk, if he leaves, to see what kind of player he really is.

Regardless, I think he makes the team out of camp, especially considering the playoff run he is having with the Griffins right now.

Anthony Mantha saw limited time with the Red Wings this season in only 10 games. He showed shades of being the player that the Red Wings wanted from him when he was drafted. He still has a way to go in his development, but his season was an excellent step in the right direction, and he has the chance to be an impact player on a team that is losing all of it’s best players.

In the end, he had a solid 10 games. Nothing too impressive, but nothing to look at as a negative.