Mark Stone!

by Andy Dax on Oct 24, 2011 10:51 AM EDT

I have previously made my love of Mark Stone known on various prospect- and non-prospect-related threads, but I just wanted to point out that Stone is still leading the WHL in scoring with 28 points (9g, 19a) in 13 games for Cory Clouston's Brandon Wheat Kings. He has at least a point in every single game he's played this season.

Now obviously no one is going to mistake Stone for Nail Yukupov, but this guy is the real deal. He is quickly turning into the second best right-winger the Sens have ever picked in the sixth round, and I'd love to see him get into some NHL games late in the year after the WHL season is over and the Sens have further purged their depth-chart at the trade deadline.

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How's he done in previous years, I wonder?

The Marginal Virtues

by JonathanA on Oct 24, 2011 12:05 PM EDT reply actions

last year he was third in WHL scoring

tied with the Nuge.

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by DarrenM on Oct 24, 2011 12:54 PM EDT up reply actions

Yup, 106 points last year.

Not too shabby. Murray has done a nice job of getting good value on players who were hurt during their draft year. Stone is an extreme example – he fell all the way to the sixth round – but Cowen and Puempel are also players who might have been picked a little higher had they played full seasons.

by Andy Dax on Oct 24, 2011 1:08 PM EDT reply actions

But can he skate?

I’m mostly kidding. However, it does seem with Mark Stone that it’s the overwhelming question. Otherwise he ends up on a good scoring line with Corey Locke in Bingo.

by RogerTheShrubber on Oct 24, 2011 3:53 PM EDT reply actions

That's the million dollar question

Sadly as right now, his skating awful.

by Alexander Calloway on Oct 26, 2011 2:21 PM EDT up reply actions

I'm always shocked that it can be an issue

Of all the flaws in your game, you’d think skating would be something that could be most easily overcome with practice and training. And there have to be a ton of good trainers out there.

I mean, things like vision or playmaking ability, size, ability to work the boardss (to a lesser extent) – these seem like things that you either have or you don’t. But skating?

by RogerTheShrubber on Oct 27, 2011 5:07 PM EDT up reply actions

That's what all the scouts are saying

Foot speed will be key in his development.

by Alexander Calloway on Oct 27, 2011 10:58 PM EDT up reply actions

I will note that a 6th rounder in the mid 90’s /= to a 6th rounder today. Stone would actually have been an 8th rounder back then. There were only 24 teams when Alfie was drafted.

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by modsuperstar on Oct 24, 2011 4:14 PM EDT reply actions

Solid point

by DW19 on Oct 24, 2011 4:22 PM EDT up reply actions

I'm loving his development

I hope he keeps it up!

Silver Seven - The Daniel Alfredsson of Ottawa Senators Blogs

by Mark Parisi on Oct 24, 2011 6:38 PM EDT reply actions

Stoner

I loved this guy in Training Camp. Big, solid, hard checking, great one on one, fearless in-your-face hard to play against kind of player with some finish. A little wild sometimes but he’s 19 years old. Since he’ll never be a Center he’ll have to work his way onto the right side, which will be a challenge, as we have alot of right-handed talent coming up.

I’d love to see him get a few games in towards the end of the year. I suspect that Butler will be packaged out because he’s not playing the Stache’s way. And with Alfy in the twilight, there will be room for Stoner.

This kind of a guy who goes to the net and into the corners doesn’t have to be the world’s #1 skater, and IMO too much is made of his skating.

by Marvellous on Oct 25, 2011 7:28 AM EDT reply actions