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Reilly Smith | RW
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Keegan Kolesar | RW
Mark Stone
Right-winger Mark Stone played midget hockey in his hometown of Winnipeg, Manitoba before joining the Brandon Wheat Kings of the Western Hockey League. He broke in with 17 goals and 39 points in 56 games as a rookie in 2008/09 with four points in 12 playoff outings. His sophomore season was disappointing as injuries limited him to just 39 contests in which he netted 11 goals and 28 points along with a goal and four points in 15 postseason encounters. He then failed to record a point in five games in the 2010 Memorial Cup.
Due to his slow start in major junior hockey, Stone wasn’t taken until the sixth round in the 2010 NHL Draft when the Ottawa Senators selected him with the 178th pick overall. The power forward was returned to Brandon for the next two seasons and played to his full potential. He appeared in 71 games in 2010/11 and chipped in with 37 goals and 69 assists for 106 points with another 10 points in six playoff games. He led his team in regular-season scoring, ranked third in the league and was named to the WHL’s First-All-Star Team in the East.
Stone signed a three-year-entry level contract after the season and followed up with 41 goals and 82 helpers for second place in league scoring with 123 points in 66 games as the Wheat Kings’ new captain. He also notched six points in eight playoff contests in 2011/12 and was named the league’s most sportsmanlike player. Stone was once again named to the league’s First All-Star Team in the Eastern Conference.
Ottawa called Stone up at the conclusion of the WHL season and he made his NHL debut in a playoff game, notching an assist in the process. However, when the 2012/13 season faced off the 6-foot-4-inch, 220 lb forward found himself playing in the American Hockey League with the Binghamton Senators. He netted 15 goals and 38 points in his first pro season with three points in three playoff games. Once again he was called up by Ottawa and went pointless in four regular season games and one playoff outing.
Stone started 2013/14 back in Binghamton with 15 goals and 41 points in 37 games before being recalled to Ottawa. He played 19 games with the big league club and contributed four goals and four assists. Stone cracked Ottawa’s opening night roster in 2014/15 and he finished his NHL rookie year with 26 goals and 64 points in 80 outings to tie with Johnny Gaudreau for the scoring lead for first-year players. He then added four assists in half a dozen playoff games despite playing with a fractured wrist. Stone finished second in Calder Trophy voting as defenseman Aaron Ekblad of the Florida Panthers won the award.
The Senators signed Stone to a three-year contract in 2015 for a total of $10.5 million. He rewarded the team with 23 goals and 61 points in 75 games and led the league for the second consecutive season in takeaways. Stone was the NHL takeaway leader again 2016/17 when he scored 22 times and added 32 helpers for 54 points in 71 matches. He followed up with five goals and eight points in 19 postseason games. Stone missed 24 games in 2017/18 due to injuries, but still managed to post 20 goals and 62 points in 58 outings. He then signed a one-year contract extension in August of 2018 for $7.35 million.
Stone represented Canada on the international level and won a bronze medal at the 2012 World Junior Championships along with a gold at the 2016 World Championships. He led the junior squad in scoring in 2012 with seven goals and three assists in six games and was named as one of Canada’s top three players.
Stone has good size for an NHL power forward, but he’s suffered several injuries during his career. He’s not the greatest skater, but has an excellent close-range shot, good overall hockey sense and is responsible in his own end. Regardless of his name, he definitely doesn’t have stone hands.
ON-ICE VALUE
First-Line Forward
STRENGTHS
Playmaking: Stone is a skilled and deceptive playmaker. He possesses wonderful vision and knows how to manipulate defenses in order to create quality passing lanes. He can carve up teams with quick one-touch dishes or feather pucks through traffic for a high-danger chance. He seems to have eyes in the back of his head.
Finish: Not known as a goal scorer, he’s nevertheless a solid finisher. His wrist shot is accurate, he can convert on the forehand or backhand, and he displays outstanding patience in tight. With good shot selection and sharp offensive instincts, Stone consistently puts himself in plus situations.
Defense: He’s not exactly a shutdown forward, but he’s perhaps the best defensive winger in the league. His takeaway ability is second to none, using his long reach and anticipation to foil puck-carriers all over the ice. He’s a willing shot-blocker and will occasionally throw his 6’3”, 202-pound frame around too.
WEAKNESSES
Skating: Stone is an awkward and rather stiff skater. He can get by once he gathers some momentum, but there’s little explosion or agility in his game. Quick changes of direction and outright footraces give him a lot of trouble. Thankfully, his hockey sense usually makes up for this shortcoming.
Puck Management: Just because he can thread the needle doesn’t mean he should attempt to as often as he does. Stone is sometimes guilty of flinging hopeless passes into traffic when a simpler setup would do the trick. An additional ounce of restraint would go a long way.
