Life is quite different for Anthony Mantha than it was a year ago.

Last April, he only had two children. This past April Fools’ Day, wife Caitlyn gave birth to a daughter, Estelle, joining big sisters Naomie and Vivianne.

Another change from 12 months ago? He’s playing hockey. And doing so at the highest level he’s ever enjoyed.

A torn ACL in his right knee brought his 2024-25 season with the Calgary Flames to a premature conclusion in November of 2024.

He was on a one-year contract with the Flames and had little idea where he would be playing next in April of 2025.

“Very uncertain,” Mantha said. “Kind of a mystery. If I was going to get a deal, where would it be? For me, it was just work, recover, work, recover and that was it.

“You do your MRI. I had no swelling. The team was like, ‘Oh, it will be maybe a week.’ Then, when they hit you with, ‘You’re done for the year,’ that’s probably the low point. Then after that, it takes a couple of weeks to refocus and get your head right, get to work, get to rehabbing.

“Just working to find the deal, get a deal and have a career year.”

That is exactly what has happened this season.

After joining the Pittsburgh Penguins, agreeing a one-year contract July 2, 2025, Mantha has posted the best offensive figures of his 11-year career with 31 goals, 30 assists and 61 points in all 78 games the Penguins have played to this point of the 2025-26 campaign.

Not only is Mantha posting prolific numbers, but he also has been a vital component to the Penguins’ surprising surge as a playoff contender.

For that resolve, he is the Penguins’ nominee this season for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, an award which recognizes “perseverance, sportsmanship, dedication to hockey.”

His nomination for the honor was announced Wednesday, along with other players from all 32 NHL teams.

“I think it’s the first time I’ve (been) nominated for something in the NHL,” Mantha said. “Obviously, that’s awesome. Even though that’s happening right now, I think the sole focus of myself and my team is to get into the playoffs feeling great.”

Members of local chapters of the Professional Hockey Writers Association identify individual nominations for each team and ultimately vote on a winner that will be recognized along with the NHL’s other award recipients.

Forwards Lowell MacDonald (1973) and Mario Lemieux (1993), as well as defenseman Kris Letang (2023), are the only players who have won the trophy while playing for the Penguins.

Established in 1968, the trophy is named after a Minnesota North Stars forward who died that year as a result of a head injury suffered during a game.

While it is often misconstrued as a “comeback award,” the Masterton Trophy celebrates the attributes listed above, all of which Mantha has displayed in his rebound from a severe injury.

In Mantha’s case, he also had to overcome other internal impediments.

“There were some doubts,” Mantha said. “I was kind of mentally preparing myself for a (professional tryout contract). When it happened, (I) played 13 games and Calgary was kind of a ‘prove-it’ deal. That’s kind of where the head goes to. I knew I still had something in me. I knew I was going to work to get back and here we are.”

A first-round draft pick of the Detroit Red Wings (No. 20 overall) in 2013, Mantha had a handful of 20-goal campaigns throughout his career and always seemed to be a competent, if inconsistent, top-six winger as an NHLer.

Penguins coach Dan Muse thought he could be more.

“Dan called me over the summer and the first conversation we had was that he wanted to get me to 30 goals,” Mantha said. “After (Mantha scored his 30th goal), he came up to me and he (said), ‘We talked about it the first time.’ I (said), “Yeah, we did.’”

Muse confirmed those suspicions.

“I thought he was capable of it, I think, just based off watching him in the past,” Muse said. “Coming in here, he put in a lot of work in the summertime to get himself healthy and ready to go. I’m not surprised. He’s been able to stay in the lineup, and he’s been making contributions on a regular basis. I’m really happy for him.”

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With the benefit of more than a decade of service time in the NHL, Mantha excels on his guile as much as his skills.

In other words, he knows how to be an NHLer.

“He’s got a wicked shot,” Penguins goaltender Stuart Skinner said. “He shoots very hard. He’s a smart player out there. He knows how to slow the game down. In practice, sometimes he looks like he’s shooting really hard and he flicks it at you, which is kind of annoying as a goalie.”

Mantha might not always be a nice teammate – at least to the ones who wear a blocker and mask – in practice. But by all accounts, he’s been a wonderful teammate.

During training camp, he provided guidance for rookies and prospects on the team’s dress code for a road contest. And in November, he fought rugged New Jersey Devils defenseman Brenden Dillon, one of the NHL’s toughest players, after Dillon flattened linemate Tommy Novak.

“Being there for a teammate there, in the New Jersey game earlier in the year, I mean that stuff goes a long way,” Muse said. “And that stuff is important. He’s obviously more known for the goal scoring and the offensive production, but that stuff is important too. And he’s shown that.”

Another important aspect of Mantha’s success this season is his health, both physically and emotionally.

He credits a mental coach, Matt Caldaroni, with restoring his spirits.

“I started working with him after I had a shoulder surgery and kind of lost the passion, maybe, for hockey,” Muse said. “I was getting injured every other year, and it was just taking a toll mentally and physically. We kind of worked on loving the game again.

“This year, you see me out there, I’m laughing, having more fun than I think probably my whole career.”

Where Mantha’s career takes him next is anyone’s guess. He is a pending unrestricted free agent and has stated he would prefer a multi-year contract this upcoming offseason.

At 31, he might not be an ideal fit for the long-term plans of a franchise that has shifted to infusing younger players into the depth chart.

But for the moment, he’s just counting his blessings and how much better life has been these days.

“Our (Mantha and Caldaroni) sole focus was to be the best version of myself this year,” Mantha said. “And that was from day one of rehabbing all the way to the start of this year. Obviously, I think I’m there right now.

“Obviously, the best results of my career stats-wise. But I also think as a person and a dad of three now.”