Mark Stone: First Line Player

By Trevor Shackles | Jan 30, 2015

Yesterday, a brand new tool for hockey fans was unveiled, and in my opinion it’s the best (and coolest) graph out there. Domenic Galamini (or @MimicoHero as he’s known on Twitter) released these “Horizontal Evaluative Ranking Optics Charts” or “HERO” Charts. These charts were particularly interesting for Mark Stone.

The concept is pretty simple. The site takes 5 on 5 stats for each player in the league, and they show them as rates. The stats they measure are usage adjusted corsi for per 60 minutes, usage adjusted corsi against per 60, usage adjusted corsi %, goals per 60, assists per 60, points per 60, and individual shots per 60. It’s measuring essentially all you can for a single player, except quality of competition and teammates.

The interesting part though, is that the site measures these things and compares them for “1st liners,” “2nd liners,” and so forth. So even if a player only has 5 goals but only plays 5 minutes a night, his numbers may reflect those of a first liner because on a rate basis that player performs exceptionally.

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To show these results, the site uses a sideways bar graph, and if a player is a “first liner” for points per 60, the bar will exceed the threshold required on the graph.

If this sounds a tad confusing, don’t worry because I’ll show you what I mean. When fiddling around with the site and looking at Ottawa Senators players I noticed one thing: Mark Stone is exceptionally underrated, and in fact he looks like Ottawa’s second best forward behind only none other than Mike Hoffman.

Here is the graph for Stone:

As you can see, Stone has been performing as a first line player in every category except for assists per 60 (which is ever so slightly behind the threshold) and individual shots per 60. He has been producing very nicely this season in terms of points, with 26 points, but it’s also extremely encouraging to see that his highest category is usage adjusted corsi %.

That means that his success has been sustainable, and he’s most likely due for even some more production in the future. I think most Senators fans have expected Stone to become a first line player down the road, but it seems as if he is one at present day.

Now obviously this graph isn’t the be-all, end-all, but it certainly is a very helpful tool that should be able to end some arguments between passionate fans. Even without this graph though, Stone has looked good in every way possible by looking at the stats and simply the eye test.

It may be hard to say that a player with 26 points in 45 games is a first line player, but with a bit more ice tine, better line mates and a bit more luck, Stone should be putting up solid numbers. I see no reason why he can’t score 60+ points most years, which is actually a first line player in this league today.

Stone has produced at every level of hockey he has ever played at, and I see no reason why he can’t do that in the NHL

The only other forward on Ottawa that looks a bit better is Mike Hoffman, although Hoffman’s assist and corsi against rates are lagging behind. Still, it’s pretty impressive that Stone looks so good at the young age of 22, and it’s even more impressive that the other top forward is another rookie (although he is 25).

Stone has produced at every level of hockey he has ever played at, and I see no reason why he can’t do that in the NHL, considering all signs point to him being a very effective player for a long time in Ottawa. Even though it’s been a very disappointing year in Ottawa, it’s hard not to get excited about some rising young guns like Stone, Hoffman, Zibanejad, and Lazar.

If you haven’t checked out the site that provides these graphs, I strongly encourage you to click on the link, because it’s easy to understand and very interesting.

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