Mantha nets two in Wings scrimmage, excited for more

TRAVERSE CITY – Now the real audition begins.

Detroit Red Wings prospect Anthony Mantha contributed two goals to lead the Red team past the White team, 6-2, in today’s end-of-training camp scrimmage at Centre Ice Arena. Tuesday, he will be part of the group that travels to play an exhibition at the Chicago Blackhawks.

"I can't wait for the puck to drop tomorrow night," Mantha said. "I will try to do the same thing as tonight, bring some offense, play good defensively, get my game going."

Mantha, Detroit's first-round pick from 2013, is penned onto a line with 2014 first-round pick Dylan Larkin and Teemu Pulkkinen.

Mantha spent last year's exhibition season nursing a fractured tibia. He showed up at this camp humbled by a tough pro debut in Grand Rapids but is showing signs he is on the right path now. Wings coach Jeff Blashill coached Mantha last season in Grand Rapids and is looking forward to seeing him play at the NHL level.

"I think Anthony, last year, it was an unfortunate thing that happened at the prospects tournament, so he missed the opportunity," Blashill said. "It will be great for him. I thought he played really, really well today. He really took a step forward today. The one thing he's got to do is score goals -- he scored. But I also thought he was involved in lots of other areas. I'm sure he will have lots of energy going into Chicago."

Helm update: Forward Darren Helm plans to ride a bike Tuesday as he attempts recovery from a concussion and Grade 1 separated left shoulder.

"I've been feeling a little off, I have a little bit of a headache," he said today.

Helm was injured Friday morning, during a collision with Jerome Verrier, who suffered a broken leg. Verrier was among 11 players released from tryouts today.

"I didn't see him in time," Helm said. "I was looking back for a pass; I was expecting him to be going up the other side. Somewhere, the drill got messed up, and both of us were going down the same lane. I remember everything. I wasn't knocked out."

Naturally, Helm is more worried about his head than his shoulder. "I don't want to keep getting concussions," Helm said. "There is no set timeline on return. I just hope mine can progress quickly."

Asked for odds he plays in the season opener Oct. 9, Helm smiled, "I'm not an oddsmaker. Just a hockey player."

Contact Helene St. James: hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames.