The only time Ken Holland has given up on a prospect is if the player requests a trade (Jarnkrok), complains about icetime (Backman), or is forced to go to waivers due to his age/contract.
Prospect Info: Devellano comments on Anthony Mantha
- Thread starter Frk It
- Start date
The only time Ken Holland has given up on a prospect is if the player requests a trade (Jarnkrok), complains about icetime (Backman), or is forced to go to waivers due to his age/contract.
The Zetterberg Era
Ball Hockey Sucks
Pure speculation, but I am wondering if this is what brought on the tough love for the first time.
The Wings brass shows up for the first time in a while, likely met with some of the players. Both Babcock and Holland then offer up to Kaiser they are disappointed with him this year and he needs a big off-season. Jimmy D as Jimmy D does goes a little harder.
But still a part of me wonders if Mantha let slip he wasn't being put in the right situations under Blashill. Figuring he has #1 first round pick status and frustrated with how the season went for stretches. He proceeds to be whack-a-moled by all the higher Detroit brass, fall in line and work harder. Not exactly a message they don't send fairly often.
Those guys had options in Sweden to help force the Wings hand. Mantha isn't fleeing for the KHL especially with the ruble in the toilet. So this is different, but it wouldn't surprise me one bit if Anthony opened up a little too much about his struggles at times throughout the year to somebody and they didn't like it.
Perhaps, but I think Holland and Co. made the mistake last season of insinuating that Mantha could actually start in the NHL rather than saying something more ambiguous like he has for all the other prospects. So now Mantha is coming into training camp thinking he might be NHL-ready and then isn't able to recover mentally from the injury and being sent to Grand Rapids. Part of the blame falls on Holland if this is indeed the case. Mantha is the first prospect in a long, long time I saw being held by management to a higher standard coming out of Junior.
Run the Jewels
Make Detroit Great Again
Same thing happened with Kindl. He followed it up with the worst plus minus in the entire AHL. So Mantha's not quite as bad as Kindl but it's not a great sign. If Athanasiou makes the Wings in training camp Mantha's gonna have to hope Larkin turns pro this year. Without AA and Larkin there will be nowhere to hide.
Maybe it's tough love, maybe it's Jimmy going senile, but why would you say this to the media?
Maybe Mantha owned up to it, but he may not be motivated by being in the AHL. On most other teams, a prospect that did what he did in the OHL would have some more NHL games by now.
Maybe Mantha owned up to it, but he may not be motivated by being in the AHL. On most other teams, a prospect that did what he did in the OHL would have some more NHL games by now.
Well, he took it in stride.
Now all he needs is to make this a landmark off-season. We'll see what type of player he is in the fall.
WingedWheel1987
Registered User
I am a little confused by Jimmy D's comments, just based on the circumstances behind Mantha's season. A broken leg will cripple any athlete from training and working out. He must know that, so i suspect there was something else that bothered him that caused him to make those comments regarding Mantha.
Unfriendly Ghost
Kasper
I think AA hurts more than he helps. He's a great talent, but he only has two modes: standing still and WARP SPEED. If you're a guy with questionable mobility post-injury, his incredible hustle just leaves you in the dust. I think part of why Mantha looks so tentative is because he knows he can't keep up with AA. For instance: if Mantha goes back on the dump-in and helps out, he gets the puck to AA and can't catch back up/looks slow and out of position (this is how those AA end-to-end highlights start). and if he cherrypicks and waits for AA to get the puck and catch up to him (and let's be honest, this happens too), he's being lazy and that's bad too. In essence: he can make the right play, get hammered on for being slow, and not score—and get criticized for not scoring. or he can cheat, make the wrong play, and potentially score, and at least then he's fulfilling some kind of expectation.
So in a certain sense, he cannot win right now. It's not like Mantha wants to do nothing on his shifts, it's that he cannot adapt to what he's got right now. I think he needs an offseason to get his speed back, because it's probably worse than usual since he had that lower body injury last week or so.
Henkka
Registered User
Nice comments from Devellano. Time to push the kid work harder.
Same "stupid" comments worked well against Howard few seasons ago. We saw a best season from him right after.
Same "stupid" comments worked well against Howard few seasons ago. We saw a best season from him right after.
The comments can have a negative effect for a 20 year-old prospect versus a 6-year NHL veteran. It's not like Detroit is known for going to the press to say bad things about their players.
Heaton
Moderator
It's one thing for a coach to say something, it's another when the guy below the owner comes out and says something.
Heaton
Moderator
Cyborg Yzerberg
Registered User
This is the kind of thing that would piss me off and push me to prove people wrong. So. Let's see if Mantha is anything like me.
Filppula
JV
- Oct 18, 2006
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Meh. Not at all surprising.
I've thought he's been overhyped for a long time now. That's why I expected him to have an average AHL season. People expected him to continue his domination from juniors, even though people said his work ethic there was an issue at times.
Unless he wants to work harder he'll never reach his potential. Who knows when he'll realise this.
I've thought he's been overhyped for a long time now. That's why I expected him to have an average AHL season. People expected him to continue his domination from juniors, even though people said his work ethic there was an issue at times.
Unless he wants to work harder he'll never reach his potential. Who knows when he'll realise this.
detredWINgs
Registered User
Uh, your point doesn't stand at all when you're comparing him to a former 50+ point center who put up 3 more points in TWENTY FEWER games than Sheahan did.
Sheahan being 73rd is indicative of what he is right now offensively - a 3rd line center. Not even a low-end 2C yet.
SpookyTsuki
Registered User
- Dec 3, 2014
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golffuul
Registered User
- Oct 24, 2011
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They said the same thing about Tatar a few years ago and he's now practically an NHL 30 goal scorer.
Said the same thing about Martin Frk and Frk got depressed about it and showed up in terrible shape, only to be sent down to the ECHL.
This is the proverbial "fork in the road" that they issue to every player that they see a tremendous upside in. And, as always, it's up to the individual to respond.
Put it this way. The kid, if he doesn't get hurt early on, was going on a line with either Zetterberg or Datsyuk to start the season. And now he's garbage?
The Red Wings wait 2-4 years for any other prospect, and this one is no different.
Said the same thing about Martin Frk and Frk got depressed about it and showed up in terrible shape, only to be sent down to the ECHL.
This is the proverbial "fork in the road" that they issue to every player that they see a tremendous upside in. And, as always, it's up to the individual to respond.
Put it this way. The kid, if he doesn't get hurt early on, was going on a line with either Zetterberg or Datsyuk to start the season. And now he's garbage?
The Red Wings wait 2-4 years for any other prospect, and this one is no different.
I agree, Tatar has commented many times about Babs being hard on him at times but he took it as constructive criticism. The result has been Tatar improving his game in many ways, hopefully mantha does the same.
Henkka
Registered User
"For whom much is given, much is expected."
Mantha has the talent, now let's stop wasting it.
Work work work harder. Critisism makes you work harder... or you are mentally weak and ready for easier leagues.
I'm all for pushing Mantha like mad, I expect highest on him. If he pans out he pans out at high level, if not, let's move on and go with another prospects.
i hope they have some reason to think he will respond positively to the criticism. different players need to be handled differently.
i have only seen him a little, but i got the same impression. he was like a more extreme version of franzen. more talented, bigger, faster, but also more of a floater.
that was also a very common comment in the thread about him before his draft. sometimes he looked amazing and dominant, but usually invisible, even in games when he scored a few points.
agree
he also seemed to me to have good offensive awareness in addition to great physical talent. if he played hard, he would be a rick nash type player.
