Jabobber Hockey

Let’s start with some stats. Mark Stone has 357 points in 424 career games, an average of .84 points per game. He only has 135 penalty minutes over that span. His career shooting percentage registers at 15.3, and he has notched 4 shorthanded goals and 21 game-winning goals. Stone has 574 takeaways compared to only 296 giveaways. Last season, he earned his first nomination for the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the NHL best defensive forward.

These numbers and accomplishments do not resemble a 6^th round draft pick, which is when Ottawa selected Stone in the 2010 draft. In fact, Stone’s impressive NHL career more accurately reflects that of an NHL first-rounder. When Ottawa traded Stone to Vegas, it was expected that he would sign an extension and get paid. It was no surprise then that the Vegas Golden Knights inked Stone to an 8-year contract extension worth $9.5 million per year.

It is fair to say that Mark Stone has garnered more attention and recognition as an elite NHL forward. However, his goal-scoring ability, 200-foot game, and defensive skill are even more impressive when compared to other players selected ahead of him in the 2010 draft. Some names on this list include Taylor Hall, Tyler Seguin, Ryan Johansen,  Jeff Skinner, and Mikael Granlund – each top 10 picks. If you were to look at Stone’s career to date, without knowing when he was selected, would you not guess he was picked in company with these players? It seems impossible that he went almost 170 picks later than all of them.

For example, let’s look at Mark Stone compared to Ryan Johansen, the 4^th overall pick in 2010. Johansen has 431 points in 628 career games, for an average of .69 points per game. He’s notched 138 goals over that span, and a 10.8 shooting percentage. Stone has 141 goals and has played in over 200 fewer games. Ryan Johansen has 325 takeaways and 322 giveaways, a very narrow margin considering Stone’s stellar numbers.

Stone holds up similarly against other top picks in the 2010 NHL Draft. 7^th overall pick Jeff Skinner has 255 goals and 461 points in 700 games (.65 points per game). Skinner has 7 seasons with over 20 goals; Stone has 5. Of course, Stone has never eclipsed the 30 or 40 goal mark in a season like Skinner, but for a guy taken 171 picks later, it certainly isn’t too shabby. Tyler Seguin – the 2^nd overall pick in 2010 – has registered 272 goals and 615 points in 710 games (.87 points per game). Mikael Granlund, the 9^th overall pick, has 98 goals and 334 points in 508 games (.65 points per game).

Mark Stone either surpasses or is on par with these players in almost every statistical category. Even when compared to NHL superstar and 1^st overall pick Taylor Hall, Mark Stone stands his ground. Hall has 209 goals and 539 points in 596 games or .90 points per game, only .06 more than Stone. Taylor Hall clocks about .35 goals per game; Stone registers about .33. As for shooting percentage, Hall hovers around 10.5 against Stone’s 15.3. Hall has 461 takeaways and 548 giveaways while Stone has 574 takeaways and 296 giveaways. To accentuate Stone’s superior defensive stats even further, he is +59 while Hall is -40.

It is no stretch to say that Mark Stone has established himself as one of the best two-way forwards in the NHL. But, offensively, his numbers stack up against the elite. Stone can pretty much do it all, and, if his contract extension with the Golden Knights is any indication, he has begun to receive the credit he deserved. Stone may not fall into the NHL superstar category – where names like Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews, Sidney Crosby, and Alex Ovechkin reign – but he certainly is close. He is one of the most consistent players in the NHL, and, for how good his numbers are his name still flies under the radar; Stone has yet to make the NHL All-Star Game.

Still in his prime, Mark Stone has years ahead of him to continue to produce as more than a “solid two-way player.” It’s not that he has anything to prove, but hopefully his numbers will garner him the recognition proportionate to a player of his caliber. While that attention has begun to bubble over the last few years – culminating with his contract extension – Mark Stone remains one of the most underrated players in the National Hockey League.

^{Featured Image: Ethan Miller, Getty Images}