Mark Stone has had an incredible season, especially since he’s turned it on in the second half. After a two point performance last night, Stone now has 40 points in 41 games since January 1st, which is pretty incredible considering Stone is still only 22-years-old.
Despite being 22, Stone certainly doesn’t play like it. He’s a complete 200 foot player and while leading the league in takeaways, he appears as though he’s an NHL vet of over 10 years.
So, as Stone completes what is sure to be a Calder-worthy NHL rookie season, where does he rank in terms of Senators rookies?
Here is how I see it:
* = season still in progress
Is Mark Stone the 3rd best Senators rookie of all-time? For sure he is,
-but let’s take a look at those who rival him…
Daniel Alfredsson
Mark Stone was drafted in the 6th round. Daniel Alfredsson was drafted in the 6th round. They both broke onto the scene as 22-year-olds and had tremendous rookie campaigns.
Daniel Alfredsson took home the Calder Trophy that season, beating out Ed Jovanovski (an 18-year-old, Florida Panthers d-man) and Éric Dazé.
Alfredsson is the only Senators Calder Trophy winner, and will likely remain for quite some time. Alfredsson doesn’t hold the record for most points as a Senators rookie, that goes to Alexei Yashin. However, Alfie’s 61 points are still noteworthy.
Given the circumstance, and Alfie’s presence after breaking into the league, he’s easily Ottawa’s best rookie of all-time.
Verdict: Mark Stone isn’t better.
Alexandre Daigle
The highly-touted, 1st overall pick did not have the career some expected. Bob McKenzie famously said he was the next Joe Sakic, sadly never coming true for the Senators.
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Even still, Daigle had a great rookie season as an 18-year-old. There were no signs of an immediate bust as Daigle recorded 20 goals and 51 points, his career high.
Daigle’s career was a disappointing one, especially as 1st overall picks go. He ended up playing over 600 games in the league, and despite being a bust by most (all) standards, he’s no Patrik Stefan.
Daigle earns a spot high up on this list, with Mark Stone just edging him as a better rookie.
Verdict: Mark Stone is better.
Alexei Yashin
Yashin holds the Senators’ record for most points as a rookie. He was another touted prospect, going 2nd overall to the Senators in 1992.
Yashin’s time in Ottawa was best remembered for his time out, as he was the single piece that would bring Zdeno Chara and Jason Spezza back to Ottawa, giving them depth for the future that ensured they were a great team in the mid 2000’s.
You have to give Yashin some credit for his early play and the skill he had, for the fact that he was able to record nearly a point-per-game as a rookie, he earns the 2nd spot in the top 10 list, just beating out Mark Stone.
Verdict: Mark Stone isn’t better.
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The Senators have had their fair share of Rookie surprises over the years. Jason Spezza was a great player for over 10 years in Ottawa, Martin Havlat and Marian Hossa were a duo the team should never have traded, and Mark Stone is the next piece for the future.
It’s hard to say anything bad about Stone’s play at this point in time, it’s been an incredible rookie year for Stone and with 5 games remaining on the Senators schedule, he could even look to close in on Alfredsson’s 61 rookie points.
The Calder may not be in his future, considering the stiff competition including Aaron Ekblad, Johnny Gaudreau, and Filip Forsberg. In fact, Stone might not even be a top 3 finalist, which wouldn’t make much sense, but could realistically happen.
That of course, not taking away from the amazing season Stone has had.
Next: Jean-Gabriel Pageau Has Landed As A Full-Time NHL Player