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Mark Stone

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For other people named Mark Stone, see Mark Stone (disambiguation).

Mark Stone
Stone with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023
Born (1992-05-13) May 13, 1992 (age 32)
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Height 6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Weight 219 lb (99 kg; 15 st 9 lb)
Position Right wing
Shoots Right
NHL team
Former teams		 Vegas Golden Knights
Ottawa Senators
National team  Canada
NHL draft 178th overall, 2010
Ottawa Senators
Playing career 2012–present

Mark Stone (born May 13, 1992) is a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger and captain of the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Ottawa Senators in the sixth round, 178th overall, of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

Stone tied Johnny Gaudreau to lead all NHL rookies in scoring during the 2014–15 season with 64 points and received a nomination for the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL's top rookie. Stone is widely recognized as one of the NHL's premier two-way forwards, and has previously been a finalist for the Frank J. Selke Trophy recognizing this play. During the 2018–19 NHL season, he was traded to Vegas, signed a long-term contract with the team, and was named the first captain in team history in 2021.

Stone captained the Golden Knights to their first Stanley Cup championship during the 2022–23 season, notably scoring a hat-trick in the series clinching game five of the 2023 Stanley Cup Finals.

Playing career

[edit]

Junior

[edit]
Stone (right) fights with Brandon Davidson of the Regina Pats in 2010

After a season with the Winnipeg Thrashers of the Manitoba Midget 'AAA' Hockey League, in which he competed in the 2008 Telus Cup, and won top scorer in the tournament, Stone began his major junior career with the Brandon Wheat Kings of the Western Hockey League (WHL) in 2008–09. He recorded 39 points (17 goals and 22 assists) over 56 games, tying for 12th in WHL rookie scoring.[1] During the 2009 playoffs, he added four points (one goal and three assists) over 12 games. The following season began with Stone ranked in the top 50 on several major scouting lists for the upcoming 2010 NHL Entry Draft. Suffering a concussion and thumb injury during the season, he was limited to 28 points (11 goals and 17 assists) over 39 games, hindering his final draft ranking among scouts.[2] Healthy during the playoffs, he competed in all the Wheat Kings' 15 contests, recording a goal and three assists. Although the Wheat Kings were eliminated in the WHL Conference Finals, they advanced to the 2010 Memorial Cup by way of having been chosen as the host team at the beginning of the year. Playing in the semi-final against the Calgary Hitmen, Stone competed opposite his older brother, Michael.[3] The Wheat Kings beat the Hitmen in dramatic fashion to advance to the Memorial Cup Final, which they lost to the Windsor Spitfires; Stone had no points in five tournament games. During the off-season, he was selected in the sixth round, 178th overall, by the Ottawa Senators in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. Stone was scouted as a power forward with weak skating.[2]

Stone appeared in his first NHL training camp in September 2010 and was returned to junior for the subsequent season. Playing in his third WHL campaign, Stone emerged with 106 points (37 goals and 69 assists) over 71 games, first on his team and third in WHL scoring.[4] His performance earned him a spot on the WHL East First All-Star Team at the end of the year.[5] During the post-season, Stone recorded ten points over six games as the Wheat Kings were eliminated in the first round. Returning to the Senators' training camp for the second year, he was signed to a three-year, entry-level contract before being sent back to the Wheat Kings for the 2011–12 season. Back in junior, Stone was named Brandon's new team captain,[2] replacing Shayne Wiebe,[6] who had turned professional.[7] Cory Clouston, the Senators' head coach from Stone's first training camp with the team, had been fired and became the Wheat Kings' new coach. He praised Stone as an intelligent hockey player and for improving his core strength from the previous year. During the season, he was selected to compete for Team WHL against the Russian under-20 select squad in the 2011 Subway Super Series. He recorded a goal and an assist in one of the contests on November 17, 2011, to be named the player of the game.[2] In December 2011, Stone was chosen as one of 16 nominees for the 54th annual H. L. (Krug) Crawford Memorial Award for sporting excellence in southwestern Manitoba.[8]

Stone concluded his junior career following the 2011–12 season by being named the winner of the Brad Hornung Trophy as the WHL's most sportsmanlike player, after finishing the season as the WHL's second-leading scorer with 123 points and being named an Eastern Conference First Team All-Star.[9]

Professional

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Ottawa Senators (2012–19)

[edit]

On April 20, 2012, the Ottawa Senators announced Stone would be joining the team and would likely make his NHL debut for the Senators on April 21 in Game 5 of their first round playoff series against the New York Rangers.[10] Stone did indeed play, recording an assist on the winning goal scored by Jason Spezza.[11] Stone made his NHL regular season debut nearly one year later, on March 6, 2013, against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He scored his first NHL goal on January 4, 2014, against Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens. Stone split the 2013–14 season between Ottawa and their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Binghamton Senators, recording 4 goals and 8 points in 19 NHL games.

Stone made the Senators' opening night line-up for the 2014–15 season and subsequently enjoyed success on the all-rookie "Kid Line" alongside Mike Hoffman and Curtis Lazar. That offensive success resulted in the Senators announcing on November 7, 2014, that Stone would be staying with the NHL club for the remainder of the season.[12] As the season progressed, Stone became one of Ottawa's top-six forwards, scoring 16 goals and 43 points in his first 62 games and receiving mention as a Calder Memorial Trophy candidate as the NHL's top rookie. He led all NHL players in scoring after the 2015 all-star break. Stone ended the 2014–15 season tied for the rookie scoring lead with the Calgary Flames' Johnny Gaudreau, with 64 points (26 goals, 38 assists) in 80 games, along with leading the NHL in takeaways (98).[13] However, on April 15, Stone suffered a fractured wrist from a slash by Montreal player P. K. Subban. Subban was assessed a five-minute major and game misconduct as a result.[14] Despite the injury, Stone appeared in all of the Senators' post-season games against the Canadiens, achieving four assists in six games, although the Senators ultimately lost the series.

On April 23, 2015, Stone was nominated for the Calder Memorial Trophy, though he ultimately finished second in voting to Florida Panthers' defenceman Aaron Ekblad.[15] On June 25, 2015, Stone signed a three-year contract extension with the Senators worth an average annual value of $3.5 million, with former Senators general manager Bryan Murray calling Stone "one of [the team's] better players, if not one of the best".[16]

Stone appeared in most of the Senators' games during the 2015–16 season, scoring 61 points across 75 games. He led the NHL in takeaways for the second-straight season and was one of the best-performing players after the All-Star Game break.[17] On a March 30 game against the Winnipeg Jets, Dustin Byfuglien delivered a devastating bodycheck to Stone that forced Stone to immediately leave the ice for concussion tests.[18] Though Stone returned to the ice later that game, he would not appear in the remaining games of the season.[19]

During the 2016–17 season, Stone would score 54 points across 71 games and led the NHL in takeaways for the third-straight season with 96, surpassing second-placed Nick Schmaltz by 13.[20]

Despite missing much of the 2017–18 season with injuries, Stone had a successful year production-wise with 62 points in 58 games. However, unable to come to terms with the Senators on a new contract, Stone filed for arbitration and was ultimately awarded a one-year extension that would make him an unrestricted free agent the following offseason.

Although there was prolonged speculation that he would not remain with the Ottawa Senators after he did not come to terms on a contract extension, Senators general manager Pierre Dorion revealed in a podcast interview in 2023 that Stone was willing to stay with the Senators and Dorion was prepared to sign him to an eight-year contract, but Senators owner Eugene Melnyk ultimately vetoed the potential signing.[21]

Vegas Golden Knights (2019–present)

[edit]
Stone at the White House in 2023

At the 2019 trade deadline, Stone was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights, along with Tobias Lindberg, in exchange for Erik Brannstrom, Oscar Lindberg and a 2020 second-round pick.[22] On March 8, 2019, he officially signed an eight-year, $76 million contract extension to remain in Vegas.[23] Stone finished the season as the league leader in takeaways with 122. For his excellent two-way play during the regular season, Stone was a finalist for the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the league's best defensive forward on April 17, 2019, along with Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins and the St. Louis Blues' Ryan O'Reilly.[24]

On April 14, 2019, Stone recorded his first career hat-trick to power the Golden Knights to a 6–3 victory against the San Jose Sharks in game three of the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs. In doing so, Stone became the first Golden Knight player to record a hat-trick in the playoffs.[25] The Golden Knights were eliminated by the Sharks in seven games in the first round, with Stone recording twelve total points from six goals and six assists.[26] The following 2019–20 season ended prematurely as a result of the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the NHL subsequently arranged to hold the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs in a bubble in Edmonton and Toronto.[27] The Golden Knights reached the Western Conference Final, before being eliminated by the Dallas Stars.[28]

Having been one of the team's alternate captains since his arrival in 2019, in advance of the shortened 2020–21 season Stone was named the first captain in Vegas Golden Knights history. General manager Kelly McCrimmon stated "we felt we had the obvious guy and that this was the time to name a captain."[29] The regular season was a major success for the Golden Knights, who finished second in the league, behind the Colorado Avalanche.[30] The postseason ended in disappointment, with the Knights reaching the semi-finals only to be defeated by the Montreal Canadiens in a series in which Vegas had been considered heavy favourites at the outset. Stone's performance in the series was subject to significant criticism, with the Las Vegas Sun remarking that he had "played the worst hockey of his Golden Knights' tenure at the worst time" after he recorded no points in the six-game series. Stone assessed that "I got skunked this series."[31][32]

Back problems that had begun following the 2021 playoffs plagued Stone through the 2021–22 season, in which he was able to play only 37 games. He returned in the closing stretch as the team attempted to salvage a playoff berth, but this came to naught and the Golden Knights missed the postseason for the first time in franchise history. Subsequent to this, Stone underwent a lumbar discectomy in May 2022.[33]

Stone's lumbar surgery had initial success, and he was able to return to the team lineup for the 2022–23 season. However, on February 12, 2023, he reinjured his back in a game against the Florida Panthers. This required a second surgery within a nine-month span, raising concerns among many that Stone's playing career might be over.[34] He missed the remainder of the regular season, with the Golden Knights placing him on the long-term injured reserve (LTIR) list at the end of February.[35] Vegas then used the additional salary cap space created by Stone's LTIR to improve the team's roster, an action which was controversial to some in light of Stone being reactivated for the beginning of the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs, when the salary cap no longer applied.[36] Stone proved a key part of the Golden Knights' deep run to the 2023 Stanley Cup Finals, where they defeated the Panthers in five games.[33] He scored a hat trick in the Cup-clinching Game 5, becoming only the third NHL player to do so, and the first since Babe Dye of the Toronto St. Patricks in 1922.[37] Stone finished fourth in voting for the Conn Smythe Trophy, awarded to the most valuable player of the postseason.[38]

International play

[edit]

Stone with Canada at the 2012 World Junior Championships
Medal record
Ice hockey
Representing  Canada
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2016 Russia
Silver medal – second place 2019 Slovakia
World Junior Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2012 Canada

Stone was selected to Canada's junior team for the 2012 World Junior Championships, held in Alberta. He began the tournament with a hat-trick and an assist in the first contest, an 8–1 win against Finland, and consequently was named Canada's player of the game.[39] After losing their semi-final against Russia, Canada defeated Finland to win the bronze medal.[40] Finishing the tournament with a team-leading seven goals and ten points,[41] Stone was named one of Canada's three best players, as selected by the coaches. Stone was named to Team Canada at the 2016 World Championships, which won the gold medal.

On April 29, 2019, Stone was named to the Team Canada roster for the 2019 IIHF World Championship held in Slovakia.[42] On May 10, 2019 he was designated an alternate captain, along with Sean Couturier.[43] He helped Canada progress through to the playoff rounds before losing the final to Finland to finish with the Silver Medal on May 26, 2019.[44] Stone finished the tournament co-leading alongside Anthony Mantha with 14 points in 10 games. He was named the Tournament's Most Valuable Player by the media.[45]

Personal life

[edit]

Stone was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, to parents Rob and Jackie. He attended Westwood Collegiate high school.[46] His older brother, Michael, also played in the NHL as a defenceman with the Calgary Flames. The two have competed against each other in the WHL as well as in the 2010 Memorial Cup, as Michael played for the Calgary Hitmen.[3] The two played against each other at the NHL level for the first time on January 31, 2015, when the Senators defeated the Arizona Coyotes 7–2.[47] Stone is the brother in law of Cody Ceci, who currently plays for the San Jose Sharks; Stone and Ceci are married to sisters Hayley and Jamie, who Stone and Ceci both met when they played for the Ottawa Senators.[48] The Stones welcomed their first child, a girl, on March 20, 2023.[33]

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2008–09 Brandon Wheat Kings WHL 56 17 22 39 27 12 1 3 4 4
2009–10 Brandon Wheat Kings WHL 39 11 17 28 25 15 1 3 4 4
2010–11 Brandon Wheat Kings WHL 71 37 69 106 28 6 1 9 10 4
2011–12 Brandon Wheat Kings WHL 66 41 82 123 22 8 2 4 6 6
2011–12 Ottawa Senators NHL — — — — — 1 0 1 1 0
2012–13 Binghamton Senators AHL 54 15 23 38 14 3 1 2 3 0
2012–13 Ottawa Senators NHL 4 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0
2013–14 Binghamton Senators AHL 37 15 26 41 6 4 1 3 4 0
2013–14 Ottawa Senators NHL 19 4 4 8 4 — — — — —
2014–15 Ottawa Senators NHL 80 26 38 64 14 6 0 4 4 2
2015–16 Ottawa Senators NHL 75 23 38 61 38 — — — — —
2016–17 Ottawa Senators NHL 71 22 32 54 25 19 5 3 8 20
2017–18 Ottawa Senators NHL 58 20 42 62 10 — — — — —
2018–19 Ottawa Senators NHL 59 28 34 62 22 — — — — —
2018–19 Vegas Golden Knights NHL 18 5 6 11 5 7 6 6 12 2
2019–20 Vegas Golden Knights NHL 65 21 42 63 27 20 7 10 17 6
2020–21 Vegas Golden Knights NHL 55 21 40 61 28 19 5 3 8 0
2021–22 Vegas Golden Knights NHL 37 9 21 30 8 — — — — —
2022–23 Vegas Golden Knights NHL 43 17 21 38 10 22 11 13 24 8
2023–24 Vegas Golden Knights NHL 56 16 37 53 22 7 3 0 3 2
NHL totals 640 212 355 567 215 102 37 40 77 40

International

[edit]
Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2009 Canada Western U17 4th 6 2 5 7 0
2012 Canada WJC 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 6 7 3 10 2
2016 Canada WC 1st place, gold medalist(s) 10 4 6 10 6
2019 Canada WC 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 10 8 6 14 0
Junior totals 12 9 8 17 2
Senior totals 20 12 12 24 6

Awards and honours

[edit]
Award Year Ref
CHL / WHL
East First All-Star Team 2011, 2012 [5][49]
Brad Hornung Trophy 2012
CHL Sportsman of the Year 2012
NHL
All-Rookie Team 2015
All-Star Game 2022
Stanley Cup champion 2023 [50]
IIHF
MVP 2019 [51]
All-Stars Team 2019

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "2008-09 Regular Season - Rookies". Western Hockey League. Archived from the original on December 20, 2011. Retrieved December 26, 2011.
  2. ^ a b c d Warren, Ken (November 20, 2011). "Ottawa Senators rising stars: Mark Stone". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved December 26, 2011.
  3. ^ a b Odland, Kristen (December 26, 2011). "Mark Stone's rival brother is watching". Calgary Herald. Retrieved December 26, 2011.
  4. ^ "2010-11 Regular Season - All Players". Western Hockey League. Archived from the original on December 16, 2011. Retrieved December 26, 2011.
  5. ^ a b "WHL East All-Stars and Awards". March 23, 2011. Archived from the original on April 26, 2011.
  6. ^ "Team Captaincy History - Brandon Wheat Kings". EliteProspects.com. Retrieved December 26, 2011.
  7. ^ "Shayne Wiebe". EliteProspects.com. Retrieved December 26, 2011.
  8. ^ "Mark Stone nominated for sporting award". Winnipeg Free Press. December 27, 2011.
  9. ^ Brodie, Rob. "Stone caps brilliant junior career with WHL honour" – via nhl.com.
  10. ^ "Mark Stone joins the Ottawa Senators". TSN. April 20, 2012. Archived from the original on April 23, 2012.
  11. ^ Garrioch, Bruce (April 22, 2012). "Anderson steals win for Sens". Ottawa Sun. Retrieved April 22, 2012.
  12. ^ Warren, Ken (November 7, 2014). "Warren: Mark Stone, Mike Hoffman staying put in Ottawa, too". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  13. ^ Brennan, Don (March 8, 2015). "Stone, Hoffman Calder material". Ottawa Sun. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  14. ^ Harrison, Doug (April 16, 2015). "Mark Stone suffers fractured wrist from P.K. Subban slash". CBC Sports. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  15. ^ "Panthers rookie Ekblad wins Calder Trophy". NHL. June 24, 2015. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
  16. ^ "Senators agree to terms with Stone, Zibanejad". NHL.com. June 25, 2015. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
  17. ^ Warren, Ken (March 24, 2016). "Stone provides troubled Sens with hope for future". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
  18. ^ "Mark Stone leaves game with chest injury after huge Byfuglien hit". Sportsnet. March 30, 2016. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
  19. ^ Garrioch, Bruce (April 7, 2016). "Mark Stone still smarting from Byfuglien body hit". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
  20. ^ Fraser, Callum (April 10, 2017). "By The Numbers: The Forwards". NHL.com. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  21. ^ Cam Janssen and Andy Strickland (May 30, 2023). "Pierre Dorion on The Cam & Strick Podcast". Spotify (Podcast). The Cam & Strick Podcast. Event occurs at 1:28:00. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  22. ^ "Vegas Golden Knights acquire Mark Stone from the Ottawa Senators". Vegas Golden Knights. February 25, 2019. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  23. ^ "VGK Sign Forward Mark Stone To Eight-Year Contract Extension". NHL.com. March 8, 2019. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
  24. ^ "Selke Trophy finalists unveiled". NHL.com. April 17, 2019.
  25. ^ "Stone posts hat trick for Golden Knights in Game 3". NBC Sports. April 14, 2019.
  26. ^ "2018-19 season statistics". National Hockey League. May 12, 2019. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  27. ^ Gatto, Tom (August 14, 2021). "NHL bubble, explained: A guide to the hub city rules, teams & schedule for Edmonton, Toronto". The Sporting News. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  28. ^ Blackburn, Pete (September 15, 2021). "Stanley Cup Playoffs 2020: Five reasons the Golden Knights were eliminated by the Stars". CBS Sports. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  29. ^ Cotsonika, Nicholas J. (January 13, 2021). "Stone named first captain of Golden Knights". National Hockey League. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  30. ^ "Colorado Overtakes Vegas To Win 2020-21 Presidents' Trophy". National Hockey League. May 14, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  31. ^ Emerson, Justin (June 24, 2021). "Down and Out: Golden Knights, Mark Stone come up empty as season ends". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  32. ^ Gotz, Ben (June 24, 2021). "Mark Stone shoulders blame for series loss to Canadiens". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  33. ^ a b c Benjamin, Amalie (June 14, 2023). "Stone overcomes injury, adversity to lead Golden Knights to Cup win". National Hockey League. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  34. ^ Fox, Luke (June 11, 2023). ""Typical Mark Stone": Inside Mark Stone's journey from career-threatening injury to the Stanley Cup". Sportsnet. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  35. ^ "Golden Knights place Mark Stone on long-term injured reserve". Sportsnet. February 21, 2023. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  36. ^ Graney, Ed (April 17, 2023). "Knights didn't cheat when activating Stone for NHL playoffs". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  37. ^ Tovell, Jonathan (June 14, 2023). "Mark Stone joins two other NHL players to score hat trick in Cup-winning game". The Hockey News. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  38. ^ Seravalli, Frank (June 14, 2023). "PHWA Ballots: Marchessault's 2023 Conn Smythe Trophy win". Professional Hockey Writers' Association. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  39. ^ "Game Summary" (PDF). IIHF. December 26, 2011. Retrieved December 26, 2011.
  40. ^ "Games & Results". IIHF. Retrieved January 5, 2012.
  41. ^ "Player Statistics By Team" (PDF). IIHF. January 5, 2012. Retrieved January 5, 2012.
  42. ^ "Hockey Canada names 22 players to 2019 IIHF World Championship roster". Hockey Canada. April 29, 2019. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  43. ^ "Kyle Turris named captain for Team Canada at world hockey championship - TSN.ca". TSN. May 10, 2019. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
  44. ^ "Finland defeats Canada for Gold Medal at World Championship". The Sports Network. May 26, 2019. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  45. ^ "Stone named MVP". IIHF. May 26, 2019. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  46. ^ "Senators blow out brothers, Coyotes". WBST 22. January 31, 2015. Archived from the original on February 11, 2015. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
  47. ^ Garrioch, Bruce (January 8, 2015). "Stone brothers square off in the desert". Ottawa Sun. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
  48. ^ Crechiolo, Michelle (January 2, 2021). "Getting to Know: Cody Ceci". Pittsburgh Penguins. Retrieved October 15, 2023 – via NHL.com.
  49. ^ "Stone caps brilliant junior career with WHL honour". Ottawa Senators. April 5, 2013. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
  50. ^ Brewer, Contessa (June 14, 2023). "Golden Knights' Stanley Cup win cements Las Vegas as a big-time sports city". CNBC. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
  51. ^ "Standings". IIHF 2019. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mark Stone.
Sporting positions
Preceded by
Position created
 Vegas Golden Knights captain
2021–present 		Incumbent
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