Missing most of a season following serious knee surgery is about as bad as it gets for a professional hockey player. In 2024-25, Anthony Mantha endured that struggle, and compounding misfortune, he had signed only a one-year, prove-it sort of free agent contract with the Calgary Flames .
Mantha did not, in fact, prove it with Calgary. But this season with the Pittsburgh Penguins , the 11-year veteran is having the type of year scouts, coaches, and general managers always knew he could when he was selected 20th overall in 2013 by the Detroit Red Wings , but until this season never had.
Because of his perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey, the local chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association, including writers from Pittsburgh Hockey Now, voted Mantha the Penguins’ 2026 Masterton Trophy nominee.
In 78 games, Mantha has 31 goals and 61 points, both are career highs significantly greater than his previous best. Never had Mantha scored more than 25 goals or registered over 48 points.
When speaking with the handful of local reporters who are members of the PHWA, Mantha admitted he expected the worst as he finished his recovery from ACL surgery. He didn’t expect a contract, but professional tryout offers.
“There were some doubts (that I wouldn’t play again). I was kind of mentally preparing myself for a PTO,” said Mantha. “You know, when it happens, you play 13 games, and Calgary was kind of a prove-it deal, so that’s kind of where the head goes. And I knew I still had some (hockey) in me. Obviously, I knew I was going to work to get back, and here we are.”
However, Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas did more than offer an invitation to camp. Dubas took a gamble on Mantha, not only giving him a guaranteed contract for $2.5 million, but loading it with a lucrative $250,000 bonus for every 10 games played.
Now with his fifth team, Mantha has handsomely rewarded the Penguins. That’s the what, but the why and how are the silver lining to playing only 13 games last season.
Mantha, 31, had a lot of time to doubt his future and ponder the worst. Through weeks of downtime and grueling rehab, dark thoughts crept in.
That’s when Mantha relied on the help of his mental health coach. He spent a lot of time, and he emphasized a lot, with his mental coach, Matt Caldaroni.
“I’ve worked with this mental coach, and obviously called him many, many times during the rehab and after the injury,” Mantha said. “Our sole focus was to be the best version of myself this year, and that was from day one of rehabbing all the way to the start of this year. And obviously, I think I’m there right now, obviously the best results of my career stats wise, but I think just also as a person and as a dad of three now. So it’s pretty cool.”
He began working with Caldaroni after a shoulder injury and subsequent surgery he underwent while with the Washington Capitals in November 2021.
Indeed, regardless of the line on which Mantha has played, he has produced. The big 6-foot-5 winger has filled the net and played a bigger game than he has before, regardless of playing with Evgeni Malkin , Tommy Novak , Ben Kindel , and even for a short time with Sidney Crosby .
“First couple of calls with the team where they showed interest in signing me, and those games played bonuses–I mean, they go a long way in them having some confidence in me and taking care of my body,” Mantha said. “(Coach Dan Muse) called me over the summer, and the first conversation we had was that he wanted to get me to 30 goals.
“And after the last game, he came up to me and he’s like, you (remember) we talked about it the first time? I was like, ‘Yeah, we did.’ And so that was a boost of confidence. When I got here, things clicked from the start.”
Yes, they have. Having overcome knee surgery and having a career year is why Mantha is the Penguins’ Masterton nominee, the first NHL award for which he’s ever been nominated.
The trophy is named after Bill Masterton, the only player to die because of injuries suffered during an NHL game (Jan. 15, 1968). Voters from the PHWA select the winner after each chapter nominates one player.
Columbus Blue Jackets forward Sean Monahan won the award last season. Penguins defenseman Kris Letang won in 2022-23.
The post Masterton Nominee: Mantha’s Silver Lining, What Unlocked Years of Potential appeared first on Pittsburgh Hockey Now .
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