CHL Player of the Week - Anthony Mantha

Toronto, ON - The Canadian Hockey league today announced that Detroit Red Wings prospect Anthony Mantha of the QMJHL champion Val-d'Or Foreurs is the CHL Player of the Week for the playoff period ending May 13 after recording 11 points in the final five games of the QMJHL Finals including six goals and five assists with a plus-minus rating of plus-4.

Mantha helped the Foreurs capture their third President Cup title in franchise history Tuesday night scoring the game-winning goal in the final minute of Game 7 of the QMJHL Finals defeating the Baie-Comeau Drakkar 4-3. Mantha received first star honours in the contest adding two assists for a three-point performance in the series finale that also clinched a berth for the Foreurs in the 2014 MasterCard Memorial Cup where they will open competition against the London Knights on Friday. Mantha's last week of playoffs also included one assist in the 6-3 win on Sunday night in Game 6, a goal and an assist on Friday despite the 6-5 loss in Game 5, two goals in the 4-3 loss in Game 4 last Wednesday, and two goals with one assist last Tuesday as first star of a 5-2 win in Game 3 of the series.

Mantha, a 19-year-old from Longueuil, Quebec, is playing in his third full QMJHL season. The CHL Player of the Year nominee led the QMJHL in scoring during the regular season with 120 points in 57 games and finished second in playoff scoring with 38 points in 24 games. Selected by the Red Wings in the first round of the 2013 NHL Draft, Mantha averaged a goal-per-game during 2013-14 including 57 regular season tallies plus an additional 24 during the post-season.

Also considered for the award this week was Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Kerby Rychel of the OHL champion Guelph Storm who scored three goals and five assists for eight points in the final three games of the OHL Championship Series helping the Storm win the Robertson Cup over the North Bay Battalion 4-1. In the WHL, Edgars Kulda of the Edmonton Oil Kings scored four goals and three assists for seven points in the final five games of the WHL Championship Series helping the Oil Kings win the Ed Chynoweth Cup 4-3 over the Portland Winterhawks.