Player Profile: Mark Stone

Mark Stone was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on May 13th, 1992. Son to Rob and Jackie Stone and brother to Michael Stone of the Calgary Flames. Stone grew up playing midget hockey in Manitoba, where he played in the Telus Cup. Eventually, Stone progressed into his Junior career, where he played for the Brandon Wheat Kings from 08′-12′. In his final season with the Wheat Kings, Stone collected an East First All-Star Team selection, the Brad Hornung Trophy, and the CHL Sportsman of the year.

Mark Stone Drafted 178th Overall

In 2010, the Ottawa Senators selected the weak skating power forward from the WHL 178th overall. Fresh out of the draft, Stone attended his first NHL training camp, where he was cut and sent back to the Wheat Kings. A blessing in disguise for Stone, who went on to have an impressive 37 goals and 69 assists for 106 points in only 71 games. This was his breakout season. The following year, Stone signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Senators before returning to Brandon for his final and most successful season yet. During his final campaign, Stone was named the Captain of the Wheat Kings and tallied an impressive 123 points in just 66 games.

Stone’s NHL Debut to Present

Stone managed to slot in for one postseason game of the Senators in the 2012 playoffs. Stone managed to make an impact on the game, picking up an assist. Spending the next two seasons bouncing between the AHL and NHL, Stone was able to establish his offensive game to inspire his breakout season in 2014. In the first full season in the NHL, managing to put up 26 goals and 38 assists for 68 points. Tied for the scoring lead amongst rookie scoring. Stone earned himself a finalist position for the 2015 Calder Trophy, eventually finishing second behind Aaron Ekblad. During that Summer, Stone signed an extension with the Senators for three years with an AAV of $3.5m. During this contract, Stone found himself having some injury problems. Ultimately, the Senators were hesitant on another contract extension and Stone filed for salary arbitration in 2018. He was awarded a one-year contract with the Senators that would make him an un-restricted free-agent at the end.

The rift between Stone and Ottawa management now existed. Those issues on top of a Senators team at the beginning of a long rebuild combined to give us a blockbuster deal during the 2019 trade deadline. Stone was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights and soon after signed an eight-year $76m contract extension. Stone went on to finish the season and be nominated for the Selke Trophy at the NHL Awards.

After a couple of years with the Vegas organization, In 2021, Stone was named the first captain in franchise history. Stone was a mainstay on the Vegas roster up until the ’21-’22 season. Stone’s back problems have gotten the best of him and the two-way center underwent a lumbar discectomy. The outlook on his recovery has him set to return for the beginning of the ’22-’23 season.

Mark Stone Contract Status

Stone currently has five years remaining on his $9.5m AAV contract with the Golden Knights. He does have a full no movement clause, which goes without saying is needed in Vegas. These next couple of seasons are going to be crucial to the future of Stone’s career. If he can manage to stay healthy and get back to his former point production and two-way play, he will be able to sign another contract past this one.