'I'll Be Ready': Penguins' Mantha Sets Goal To Hit Ground Running In Training Camp

In the summer of 2024, the Pittsburgh Penguins had, apparently, reached out to then-free agent forward Anthony Mantha.

“Last summer, when I was a free agent, they were scooping around,” Mantha said Monday to Pittsburgh reporters. “They offered something last summer. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite go that way.”

Well, fast forward one year later, and Kyle Dubas and the Penguins reached out once again. But, this time, everything fell into place. On Jul. 2, Mantha – the 20th overall pick of the Detroit Red Wings in 2013 – agreed to terms on a one-year, $2.5 million deal, which came following a Nov. 5 ACL injury that ended his 2024-25 season with the Calgary Flames after just 13 games played.

It has been a long, long road to recovery for Mantha, and there is still a ways to go heading into training camp. But the 6-foot-5, 234-pound right winger has made it his goal to be ready for training camp and for the season – and he doesn’t plan on letting up.

“It feels great, but it’s been a long time,” Mantha said. “I should be ready for camp. That was my main goal when I did get surgery… I mean, it’s going to be almost 10 months post-op at the start of camp. So, I should be all set and running, and I’ll be ready. That’s the ultimate goal, and that’s exactly what I told [Pittsburgh] when we were talking to each other over the summer.”

And the decision to come to Pittsburgh is something that, kind of, fell into place for Mantha, who admits that his injury led to a pretty high degree of uncertainty heading into free agency this season.

“For me, obviously, playing 13 games last year was, kind of, ‘Which team would give me a chance?’” Mantha said. “And, luckily enough, [Pittsburgh] came through and, I think, gave me a great opportunity and great deal from the start of free agency, and it was hard to look past them this year.

“I’m just excited to join the Penguins, and like I said, after 13 games, I didn’t know what to expect over the summer. I focused a lot on myself and trying to prove that I’ll be ready for camp. Things went good, and here we are.”

Penguins Promising Forward Should Hit New LevelDuring this past season, the Pittsburgh Penguins acquired forward Philip Tomasino from the Nashville Predators in exchange for a 2027 fourth-round pick. Overall, this was a low-risk move for the Penguins, as they did not need to give up much for the young forward.

Mantha mentioned something that drew him to Pittsburgh was the opportunity to learn from “four of the best players” in the NHL during the past decade-plus in Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, and Erik Karlsson. But it’s not the first time Mantha has suited up against all-time great veterans.

From 2021-24, Mantha represented the Washington Capitals, where he had a chance to play alongside Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, T.J. Oshie, and Tom Wilson. He pulled a lot from that experience, mentioning how much he looked up to them and how he took some of their experience and applied it to his own game.

“I’m just excited to kind of do the same thing in [Pittsburgh],” Mantha said. “Yes, I’m 30 years old, but we live and we learn every year, and for me, that’s the biggest thing this year again.”

Mantha is also aware of the crossroads the Penguins’ organization finds itself in. The team is in the midst of a rebuild, having missed the playoffs for three consecutive seasons. While he understands the situation, he also knows that the veterans in the room that the Penguins have had for the better part of two decades are still capable of turning the tide of a season.

Anthony Mantha has signed 1x$2.5M with PIT. No player card last year because he got hurt, but he's an efficient scorer with decent speed who pushes play in the right direction. Often maligned because he's 6'5 234 and plays like he's much smaller than that. #LetsGoPens pic.twitter.com/RqSf5VJgIp

— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) July 2, 2025

“Just those four guys – they could switch an entire season around,” Mantha said. “So, yes, you’re talking rebuild in Pittsburgh, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s going to be the case this year. It might be, it might not be, but again, for me, it’s to bring the best hockey that I can and to find some confidence and make things happen.”

And he may have some additional help regaining that confidence, as he does have another Penguins’ connection. Mantha was coached by new Penguins’ assistant Todd Nelson when their time overlapped with the Grand Rapids Griffins – Detroit’s AHL affiliate – from 2015-17, and he said that Nelson helped propel his career in an upward trajectory.

“It’s the year he kind of pushed me forward,” Mantha said. “Took a good step forward, meaning, after that, I didn’t see him again in the American League. So, he helped me take that step and bring me to the NHL level.”

'It's A Nice Mix': New Penguins' Coaching Staff Ready To Focus On DevelopmentIt’s no secret that the Pittsburgh Penguins have begun to shift into a new era. With the organization in a transitional period – and in the midst of a rebuild – the Penguins are putting the focus on youth and development.

But – personnel aside – Mantha knows that, at the end of the day, the onus is on him to get back to the level he knows he’s capable of. He has three career 20-plus goal seasons, and he has 146 goals and 303 points in 507 games across parts of 10 NHL seasons. His injury derailed him last season, but he still has all the tools to be an effective player, even as he’s entering the back half of his NHL career.

At the end of the day, Mantha is putting in the work to get both his legs and his confidence back, and he knows he will have to bring the injury from the moment the puck drops on training camp.

“How to get the confidence back? I mean, it’s a lot of puck touches, a lot of shots… hopefully, I get to play a couple scrimmages here and there during the summer before I show up to camp,” Mantha said. “Then, obviously, camp this year is going to be different than the last couple years where, for me, it’s going to be almost season-type where I need to really get back into it, really focus, and play my best hockey from camp on.”

Will Owen Pickering Make The Opening Night Roster?The Pittsburgh Penguins will have a lot of decisions to make regarding some of their young players before the puck drops on the regular season Oct. 7 against the New York Rangers.