Two years ago Daylon Mannon had a mindboggling 150 points in 51 games with the Fresno Monsters of the Western States Hockey League so there was little doubt he had a nose for the net.
Last year when he tallied 32 points in 49 games with the Maryland Black Bears of the United States Hockey League again his offensive skills were never in question.
When the 20-year-old Fresno product was held off the scoresheet in his first two Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League games this year there might have been a few eyebrows raised, but the 5-foot-10, 165-pound forward quickly put any doubts to rest when he reeled off 10 points in the next four games and in the process helped the La Ronge Ice Wolves become a competitive team on a nightly basis.
Prior to his dazzling season with the Monsters, Mannon had spent a couple years with the California Titans, an under-16 club, and one season with the Los Angeles Junior Kings, an under-18 squad. His second season with the Titans saw him register 41 points in 25 games and garner him a spot on one of that league’s all-star squads.
Mannon has followed his coach Kevin Kaminski from his days with the Monsters to La Ronge so having someone familiar with his talents is certainly a benefit. While it took a couple of games to get untracked his explosiveness will only help the Ice Wolves as they try and make a return to the playoffs for just the second time in the last six years.