Wings notes: Mantha knows he must earn promotion to Detroit

TRAVERSE CITY -- The Red Wings have reason to look at Anthony Mantha and be optimistic.

He has grown from hotshot draft pick to humble pro player. He is hanging out with one of the most mature teenagers among the Wings, one bound to be of good influence. He is talking about earning minutes, not being owed any.

Mantha is participating in his first training camp with the Wings, a year after what was supposed to be his first was derailed by a fractured right tibia that pushed his pro debut to mid-November with the Grand Rapids Griffins.

The Wings drafted Mantha 20th overall in 2013, then watched the 6-foot-5, 214-pound right wing put together a second straight 50-goal season in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

He finished last season with 15 goals among 33 points in 62 games, unable to dominate like he had as a junior.

Wings general manager Ken Holland said he hoped Mantha learned from the experience.

"At first, I really wanted to play with the Wings," Mantha said Saturday. "Now, I learned their mentality, I learned how they want to do things, I learned how hard it is to make the Wings.

"This year I am looking for a fresh start. I know what I need to do, I know what they are wanting from me. I need to have a great season, whether it is in Detroit or Grand Rapids. I need to prove I can play either way — I can play power play, maybe have a chance on PK with that new coach in Grand Rapids. "

Wings coach Jeff Blashill wants Mantha, who turned 21 on Wednesday, to get comfortable and "you have to find how to play what I call the right way, especially in our system, where we demand you are going to play a 200-foot game and you are going to play from the defensive side of the puck. It takes awhile to learn how to create offense while playing that way."

Wings' Darren Helm out 2 to 4 weeks

The demand for a 200-foot game can lessen, though, the more a forward contributes points-wise. Gustav Nyquist is a good example. More than anything, the Wings want to see Mantha produce.

"The one thing with Anthony is, with a player like him, he's got to score," Blashill said. "That is what he does, and that is a confidence thing. When you come in with a ton of confidence, all of a sudden with the injury and what not, it was a little harder than he probably thought it was going to be. The confidence erodes a little bit, and now you've got to build it back up."

Mantha restored some self-esteem during the prospect tournament that preceded training camp. He also is getting a boost from a budding friendship with Dylan Larkin, the 2014 first-round pick who spent the past year wowing at U-M, the World Championships and the AHL playoffs.

"I look at him," Mantha said, "and try to follow him around, and we push one another."

The two have become closer over the past few weeks, bonding as the days in Traverse City grow into weeks.

"We have a good relationship," Larkin said. "We are pretty good buddies off the ice, always hanging out and going to dinner. I've been impressed with him. I think he had a big summer, so I'm excited for what is to come for him. I think he is going to have a good year."

Lurking on Larkin: There might not be two players more delighted to be around one another than Luke Glendening and Larkin. Larkin worked out with Glendening during the summer and sees him as a guiding influence. "Luke and I do have a bond," Larkin said. "He has been a real mentor for me this summer, and he is a true leader."

Glendening is happy to help. "I just try to be a sounding board if he needs something," he said. "He's highly skilled and highly talented, so I don't know how much I can help him in that department. He has a bright future in front of him."

The two former U-M players balance former Spartans Justin Abdelkader and Drew Miller. "It's nice to have one back, especially with Michigan State's football team doing so well," Glendening said. "I need another Wolverine in my corner."

Contact Helene St. James: hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Check out our new Red Wings Xtra app on Apple and Android!