When Mantha Mania seemed to be at its height in Hockeytown, it came to a screeching halt Thursday.
According to The Detroit News, the injury Mantha sustained during a prospects tournament game on Monday turned out to be more severe than anyone had imagined.
Breaking: Detroit Prospect Anthony Mantha Out 6-8 Weeks with Broken Tibia
Mantha’s leg got caught in a rut in the ice and proceeded to get hit in the process. “He got his skate caught in a rut and he got hit and couldn’t really protect himself,” Red Wings General Manager Ken Holland said. “He went to bed, woke up the next day and it was swollen, so we did some tests.”
“He’s going to be in crutches for a while, take the weight off. We think somewhere around six weeks he should be back up and running and skating and from there on playing.”(mLive.com)
In the QMJHL last season, Mantha potted 57 goals and 120 points in 57 games, leading the Val D’or Foreurs to the league title.
Mantha carried his tear into Traverse City and got off to such a hot start in the tournament, potting three goals and an assist in two games before the injury was sustained. Special Assistant to Ken Holland Kris Draper was very confident in the young man in making the team, saying he would get an opportunity to play with either Pavel Datsyuk or Henrik Zetterberg.
It was a crushing blow for Mantha, who was looking to prove that he belonged and was showing that he did belong in a Red Wing uniform. His arrival would have to jump some hurdles with the Daniel Alfredsson decision on hold and so many other players vying for a spot on the team, but his confidence was bursting at the seams and it showed in his play on the ice.
It will be a lengthy road back for the 20-year old sniper, but with his determination and dominant play among his peers, he will look to return with a vengeance.
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Quotes courtesy of MLive and The Detroit News
Main Photo by Francois Laplante/FreestylePhoto/Getty Images
