WRITTEN BY SENSCHIRP READER EK4Norris2016
Like many other fans here, I believe that Mark Stone is ridiculously underrated both offensively and mostly defensively. Let’s take a closer look at what makes Mark Stone one of the most underappreciated wingers in the game today.
Takeaways
Mark Stone is an absolute beast at taking the puck away from opponents and has it down to science. Some say he is up there with the elite in that department with the likes of Datsyuk, Bergeron, Toews but the statistics suggest he’s on another level entirely. Pavel Datsyuk finished 2011 with 97 takeaways (was his best season in that department), that’s 1.39 per game and 4.25 per 60. Jonathan Toews on the other hand, on the shortened season, had 56 takeaways, a 1.19 takeaway average per game and 3.7 per 60. Finally Bergeron had 67 takeaways last season with a 0.84 takeaway per game and a 2.53 takeaway per 60 rate. These are considered, very solid elite defensive, but what about Mark Stone?
So Mark Stone had 128 takeaways last season. 128!! 128 takeaways with a 1.71 takeaway per game and a whopping 5.09 takeaway per 60. I must add that it’s the first time that an NHL player gets 100 takeaways or more in one season. Oh and you might ask what is the 2nd best takeaway season on record, well it’s Mark Stone that had 98 takeaways in 2014-15.
Offence
While Mark Stone isn’t really known for elite offensive production, his numbers over the last couple years suggest a winger that is among some of the best in the game. In the past two seasons Mark Stone has posted a 0.8 ppg or 66 points in 82 games. Guys like Kucherov, Pacioretty, Jagr, Hall, Spezza, Getzlaf, Perry, Sedins, Kessel put up similar numbers last year. All of those guys are well known to be very good offensive players so, is Mark Stone as good as them offensively?
He might not be as flashy as the others, but he produces as much as them. It also helps that Stone played only half a year on a top line with Mike Hoffman and Kyle Turris. If he spends the majoirty of next season with high-end offensive talent (and with a better coach), Stone could explode offensively next year.
Hockey Sense
Mark Stone is among the best players in the game when it comes to reading the play, which is again, a very underrated part of his game. This video is a perfect example of how good he is. He wins a battle for the puck against Jamie Benn, getting it to Pageau. Ends up behind the net and of course Stone is already there dragging it to him away from Seguin and sends a perfect pass between the feet of Seguin to the trailing Smith alone in front of the net.
Mark Stone has quickly become a fan favorite for being so clutch against tough teams at the right time. A couple more Mark Stone clips that confirm as much.
Selected in the 6th round of the 2010 Entry Draft, not a lot was expected of Stone as an NHL player. Despite his impressive numbers in Junior, scouts wondered if he had the skating ability to play at the NHL level. Turns out a lot of scouts were wrong. Thankfully Bob Lowes was right. Stone’s unique combination of hockey sense, offensive instincts and one of the best sticks in the game have quickly made him one of the league’s top wingers.
And at just 24 years of age, it’s clear that Mark Stone’s best days are still ahead of him.
