Coach's Standard: Domination

After catching wind of Anthony Mantha’s historical night with the Grand Rapids Griffins in which he scored a hat trick on the power play, head coach Jeff Blashill has opened the door to the 22-year-old making the jump to the National Hockey League with the Detroit Red Wings.

 

Not so fast, though.

 

First, Mantha needs to “dominate” the American Hockey League the same way Tomas Tatar, Gustav Nyquist and the injured Tomas Jurco have before earning themselves a permanent spot with the Red Wings. At least, that’s what the coach believes.

 

Still, it’s hard to imagine Mantha not wanting to prove a point. After all, his preseason performances (three goals in five games) and five goals in three regular season games are nothing to scoff at, and are certainly catching the attention of the Red Wings brass.