Helene St. James

Detroit Free Press

Anthony Mantha brims with confidence as he attempts to stake a piece of territory with the Detroit Red Wings.

He showed during a 10-game stretch last season that he can be a factor, especially with his 6-foot-5, 214-pound frame. He scored twice and added an assist during a March stint, something that has injected confidence as he approaches next week's start of Wings training camp.

“I just focus on those 10 games last year,” Mantha said after an informal skate today at Joe Louis Arena. “This summer, that was a motivation for me. The goal is to play more, to make the team. I had a great summer of training off-ice, on-ice.

“I've been skating with these guys for probably two or three weeks now. I'm ready for camp and I just can't wait to get started.”

Mantha, who turns 22 on Friday, is vulnerable because he is waiver-exempt. The Wings' glut of forwards, however, has eased somewhat with off-season injuries to Tomas Jurco and Teemu Pulkkinen.

“I just need to be ready, be in my spot, play my game,” Mantha said. “I need to be hard on pucks, I need to score a few goals, I need to be a good net-front presence, win my one-on-one battles. It all comes down to being intense and wanting the puck more than I did in the past few years.”

Mantha has a good role model in Dylan Larkin, who made last year's team at age 19. Mantha, drafted 20th overall in 2013, had a tough start to his pro career in September 2014, when he fractured his right tibia during a prospects tournament. That segued into a forgettable rookie year in Grand Rapids, one that motivated him throughout 2015-16, which saw him produce 45 points in 60 games with the AHL's Griffins.

“If you look back at that injury, it helped me out, long-term,” Mantha said. “I learned a lot from that season. I had to step up the next season, and I think that's what I did.

“Last year was a good first year for me to be net-front -- it was the first time for me practicing it. I worked on tips a lot during practices, getting the feel of being in the right position in front of the goalie’s eyes. So it could be a good advantage for me, being 6-4, 6-5.”

Mantha needs to use the exhibition season to demonstrate that he belongs playing in a top-nine spot in Detroit, just as Larkin did. That was a condition general manager Ken Holland placed on keeping Larkin with the Wings -- if he was just going to see spot minutes as a fourth-liner in the NHL, he'd be better off as a go-to guy in Grand Rapids.

“I'll be ready, and I'll play my game,” Mantha said.

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