| Mark Stone | |||
|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) Stone at theWhite House 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 professionalice hockeyright winger andcaptain of theVegas Golden Knights of theNational Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by theOttawa Senators in the sixth round, 178th overall, of the2010 NHL Entry Draft.
Stone tiedJohnny Gaudreau to lead all NHL rookies in scoring during the2014–15 season with 64 points and received a nomination for theCalder 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 theFrank J. Selke Trophy recognizing this play. During the2018–19 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 firstStanley Cup championship during the2022–23 season, notably scoring ahat-trick in the series clinching game five of the2023 Stanley Cup Finals.
After a season with the Winnipeg Thrashers of theManitoba Midget 'AAA' Hockey League, in which he competed in the2008 Telus Cup, and won top scorer in the tournament, Stone began hismajor junior career with theBrandon Wheat Kings of theWestern Hockey League (WHL) in2008–09. 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 upcoming2010 NHL entry draft. Suffering aconcussion 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 the2010 Memorial Cup by way of having been chosen as the host team at the beginning of the year. Playing in the semi-final against theCalgary 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 theWindsor Spitfires; Stone had no points in five tournament games. During the off-season, he was selected in the sixth round, 178th overall, by theOttawa 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 the2011–12 season. Back in junior, Stone was named Brandon's newteam captain,[2] replacingShayne 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 2011Subway 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 the2011–12 season by being named the winner of theBrad 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]
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 roundplayoff series against theNew York Rangers.[10] Stone did indeed play, recording an assist on the winning goal scored byJason Spezza.[11] Stone made his NHL regular season debut nearly one year later, on March 6, 2013, against theToronto Maple Leafs. He scored his first NHL goal on January 4, 2014, againstCarey Price of theMontreal Canadiens. Stone split the2013–14 season between Ottawa and theirAmerican Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, theBinghamton Senators, recording 4 goals and 8 points in 19 NHL games.
Stone made the Senators' opening night line-up for the2014–15 season and subsequently enjoyed success on the all-rookie "Kid Line" alongsideMike Hoffman andCurtis 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 aCalder 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 theCalgary 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 afractured wrist from aslash by Montreal playerP. 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 toFlorida Panthers' defencemanAaron 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 Senatorsgeneral managerBryan 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 the2015–16 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 theAll-Star Game break.[17] On a March 30 game against theWinnipeg Jets,Dustin Byfuglien delivered a devastatingbodycheck to Stone that forced Stone to immediately leave the ice forconcussion tests.[18] Though Stone returned to the ice later that game, he would not appear in the remaining games of the season.[19]
During the2016–17 season, Stone would score 54 points across 71 games and led the NHL in takeaways for the third-straight season with 96, surpassing second-placedNick Schmaltz by 13.[20]
Despite missing much of the2017–18 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 anunrestricted 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 managerPierre 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 ownerEugene Melnyk ultimately vetoed the potential signing.[21]
At the 2019 trade deadline, Stone was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights, along withTobias Lindberg, in exchange forErik Brännström,Oscar Lindberg and a2020 second-round pick.[22] On March 8, 2019, he officially signed an eight-year,US$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 theFrank J. Selke Trophy as the league's best defensive forward on April 17, along withPatrice Bergeron of theBoston Bruins and theSt. Louis Blues'Ryan O'Reilly.[24]
On April 14, 2019, Stone recorded his first careerhat-trick to power the Golden Knights to a 6–3 victory against theSan Jose Sharks in game three of the2019 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 following2019–20 season ended prematurely as a result of the onset of theCOVID-19 pandemic, but the NHL subsequently arranged to hold the2021 Stanley Cup playoffs in abubble inEdmonton andToronto.[27] The Golden Knights reached the Western Conference Final, before being eliminated by theDallas Stars.[28]
Having been one of the team's alternate captains since his arrival in 2019, in advance of theshortened 2020–21 season Stone was named the first captain in Vegas Golden Knights history. General managerKelly 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 theColorado Avalanche.[30] Thepostseason ended in disappointment, with the Knights reaching the semi-finals only to be defeated by theMontreal 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 theLas 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 the2021–22 season, in which he was able to play only 37 games. He returned in the closing stretch as the team attempted to salvagea 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 alumbar discectomy in May 2022.[33]
Stone's lumbar surgery had initial success, and he was able to return to the team lineup for the2022–23 season. However, on February 12, 2023, he reinjured his back in a game against theFlorida 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 additionalsalary 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 the2023 Stanley Cup playoffs, when the salary cap no longer applied.[36] Stone proved a key part of the Golden Knights' deep run to the2023 Stanley Cup Finals, where they defeated the Panthers in five games.[33] He scored a hat trick in the Cup-clinching fifth game, becoming only the third NHL player to do so, and the first sinceBabe Dye of theToronto St. Patricks in1922.[37] Stone finished fourth in voting for theConn Smythe Trophy, awarded to themost valuable player of the postseason.[38]
 Stone withCanada at the2012 World Junior Championships | ||
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Ice hockey | ||
| Representing Canada | ||
| World Championships | ||
 | 2016 Russia | |
 | 2019 Slovakia | |
| World Junior Championships | ||
 | 2012 Canada | |
Stone was selected toCanada's junior team for the2012 World Junior Championships, held inAlberta. He began the tournament with a hat-trick and an assist in the first contest, an 8–1 win againstFinland, and consequently was named Canada's player of the game.[39] After losing their semi-final againstRussia, 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 toTeam Canada at the2016 World Championships, which won the gold medal.
On April 29, 2019, Stone was named to the Team Canada roster for the2019 IIHF World Championship held in Slovakia.[42] On May 10, 2019, he was designated an alternate captain, along withSean Couturier.[43] He helped Canada progress through to the playoff rounds before losing the final toFinland to finish with the Silver Medal on May 26, 2019.[44] Stone finished the tournament co-leading alongsideAnthony Mantha with 14 points in 10 games. He was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player by the media.[45]
Stone was born inWinnipeg,Manitoba, to parents Rob and Jackie. He attendedWestwood Collegiate high school.[46] His older brother,Michael, also played in the NHL as a defenceman with theCalgary Flames. The two have competed against each other in the WHL as well as in the2010 Memorial Cup, as Michael played for theCalgary Hitmen.[3] The two played against each other at the NHL level for the first time on January 31, 2015, when the Senators defeated theArizona Coyotes 7–2.[47] Stone is the brother in law ofCody Ceci, who currently plays for theDallas Stars; 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 have one child, a girl.[33]
| 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 | ||||
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Canada Western | U17 | 4th | 6 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2012 | Canada | WJC |  | 6 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 2 | |
| 2016 | Canada | WC |  | 10 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 6 | |
| 2019 | Canada | WC |  | 10 | 8 | 6 | 14 | 0 | |
| 2025 | Canada | 4NF | | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Junior totals | 12 | 9 | 8 | 17 | 2 | ||||
| Senior totals | 24 | 13 | 12 | 24 | 6 | ||||
| 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] |
| International | ||
| World Junior Championship bronze medal | 2012 | |
| World Championship gold medal | 2016 | |
| World Championship silver medal | 2019 | |
| World ChampionshipMVP | 2019 | |
| World Championship All-Star Team | 2019 | |
| 4 Nations Face-Off champion | 2025 | [51] |
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Position created | Vegas Golden Knights captain 2021–present | Incumbent |