Amber Searls — USA TODAY Sports
The Story Behind Anthony Mantha's White Hockey Stick & Why He Won't Use A Different Twig
ARLINGTON, V.A. — It's easy to recognize Anthony Mantha on the ice, and it's not just because of his 6-foot-5 frame; it's the all-white hockey stick that he's used over the course of his career.
Mantha's trademark twig is a Warrior Novium Pro, but it's custom-made by his company to be an all-white twig with some red underscoring. And to top it all off, Mantha tapes the toe in all-white tape.
For the 29-year-old, the specs have to be specific to account for a type of colorblindness, he told The Hockey News.
"I don't tape the toe of my stick. I used to play with a black stick, and because I don't like taping over the toe, it would be like black, my white tape and then the little piece (the toe) that I don't tape was black," Mantha explained, saying that the shades of grey can be misleading. "So sometimes when you're looking up, you would think it was the puck."
Recommended Articles
Mantha used to be with CCM and used the RBZ for a bit, which was an all-red stick, while also using black twigs. After realizing the problem, the Quebec native worked with the company manufacturers to go all-white in 2016. He hasn't looked back.
"I can just see the puck better," he said.
Mantha switched to Warrior after his run with CCM and had previously used the Alpha LX Pro before making the switch to the Novium this season. Over his NHL career, he's used that white twig to pick up 122 goals and 134 assists for 256 points in 432 total games.
He'll look to continue to find twine and success in a contract year now with the Capitals as he looks to prove he can still be a top-6 contributor in the NHL. This season, he's been able to find more consistency under head coach Spencer Carbery. Now, it's a matter of translating that into stats.
