Mark Stone Nominated for Calder
It was announced today that Mark Stone is a nominee for the Calder Trophy for rookie of the year
Mark Stone is one of the three finalists for the Calder Memorial Trophy.
Calder Finalists: Ekblad, Gaudreau, Stone
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) April 23, 2015 This comes on the back of scoring 64 points in 80 games, good enough to tie Johnny Gaudreau for first among rookies. His 26 goals were tied with Filip Forsberg for second among rookies, behind only fellow Senators player Mike Hoffman. Not only was he an offensive threat, he tied Ryan O'Reilly for first in the NHL with takeaways with 98. This is the first time since takeaways have been recorded that a rookie finished first. As a sample of his work, feast your eyes on this beautiful takeaway to clinch the Sens' postseason berth:
Stone finished the season on a torrid pace. He only had 18 points by the end of 2014, but scored 46 points in 46 games in 2015. He also had no multi-point games until January 13; from then onward, he had 11. His ice time rose as the season progressed, finishing with 17:01 on ice per game (third among Sens forwards), including 1:23 shorthanded (fifth among Sens forwards).
The other nominees for the Calder trophy were the aforementioned Johnny Gaudreau of the Calgary Flames, and 18-year-old defenseman Aaron Ekblad of the Florida Panthers. Filip Forsberg of the Nashville Predators started the season strong, but fell out of contention with a late-season skid. John Klingberg of the Dallas Stars also deserved consideration for his 40 points in 65 games, but not being called up for the first 17 games of the season likely cost him his spot. This was one of the toughest Calder votes in recent memory.
The winners will be announced on Wednesday, June 24 at the NHL Awards in Las Vegas.