Mark Stone savours Team Canada invite

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This article was published 13/12/2024 (299 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Truth be told, Mark Stone thought the opportunity to compete for his country might have been left in the rear-view mirror.

The Winnipegger and captain of the Vegas Golden Knights has endured a couple of significant injuries during the past several seasons — including a pair of back surgeries in a nine-month span.

With Stone, 32, off to an excellent start this season, the right-winger was unveiled as one of the 13 forwards on what looks like a stacked Team Canada that will compete at the 4 Nations Face-Off in Montreal and Boston in February.

“(In) 2022, when we were supposed to go to the Olympics (in Beijing), I kind of thought that was probably going to be my last chance at it,” Stone said before the Golden Knights faced the Winnipeg Jets at Canada Life Centre on Thursday.

“But fortunately, I’ve been able to play at a high level, I guess. Or a high enough level to get on that team. I’ve always wanted to get that opportunity to play against the best-on-best, but especially to play with the best. I’m pretty honoured, pretty excited to get in the locker room with the guys that have been doing it for however many years.”

That Stone found a way to earn a spot on a team that also features the likes of Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid and Colorado Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon is no accident.

The former captain of the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings is regarded as one of the best leaders in the game and his high level of production, coupled with his defensive awareness, should serve him and his teammates extremely well.

While pundits and fans are trying to figure out where players could fit on the depth chart, Stone recognizes the opportunity to skate alongside some of the best players of his generation will be glorious, no matter where he’s slotted in the lineup or how much ice time he earns.

“I mean, it’s hard to know at this time. But whoever you’re going to play with, it’s more or less (about) being able to find a role than seeing who you’re playing with and play that role to the best of your ability,” said Stone, who helped the Golden Knights capture the Stanley Cup in 2023.

“Guys have to change their games for those types of tournaments to fit in and play more of a team game.”

Stone, who suited up for Canada at the IIHF world men’s hockey championship in 2016 and 2019, was quick to point out that Canada has done a great job in the past of building teams that can compete in a short tournament.

“He’s going to complement those (Team Canada) centres and a big part of his game is that he’s able to get open at the other end and find open ice and finish or finish off a play (defensively) and he can do both.”–Coach Bruce Cassidy

When you see how well Stone complements a star player like current linemate Jack Eichel, it’s not hard to envision him having a big impact in the event that also features the United States, Sweden and Finland.

“He’s great at getting the puck off the walls, whether it’s a breakout or in the neutral zone and into the hands (of a teammate) in the right spots,” said Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy.

“He’s going to complement those (Team Canada) centres and a big part of his game is that he’s able to get open at the other end and find open ice and finish or finish off a play (defensively) and he can do both.”

There has been a lot of talk about Canada not having as much depth as the other three countries in goal, however the team boasts the only Stanley Cup winners between the pipes in Jordan Binnington (2019) and Adin Hill (2023).

Hill has been exceptional of late, allowing two or fewer goals in eight of his past nine starts — and 16 total goals during the recent hot streak.

“He’s just super calm in the net and it’s an underrated thing for a goalie,” said Stone. “(Another) underrated thing for a goalie is to make the hard saves look easy and he’s making the hard saves look pretty easy right now.”

If Hill keeps that up, it will clearly bolster Canada’s chances to compete for top spot in the 4 Nations Face-Off.

AROUND THE GLASS

Howden talks extension

Oakbank product Brett Howden, 26, is off to the best start of his NHL career and could have had the opportunity to try and cash in on the open market at the end of the campaign, as he was due to become an unrestricted free agent for the first time on July 1.

Instead of waiting to see if the grass could be greener, at least in financial terms, Howden and agent J.P. Barry hammered out a five-year extension with Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon that carries an AAV of US$2.5 million.

The new deal not only represents a raise of US$600,000 per season, it gives him security with an organization that has provided him with a role that has allowed him to blossom and ultimately, thrive.

“As much as we enjoy living there and enjoy everyone there and feel comfortable, it’s also the hockey aspect of it,” said Howden, who has a career-high 10 goals and 11 points in 29 games this season. “It’s the kind of place where I feel confident in my game and I believe in what they’re doing here. It was a no-brainer for me to sign.”

Howden was a high-scoring player with the Moose Jaw Warriors coming out of the Western Hockey League and was chosen by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round (27th overall) of the 2016 NHL Draft, but was traded to the New York Rangers at the NHL trade deadline in 2018 in a blockbuster that sent defenceman Ryan McDonagh and forward J.T. Miller to Florida.

That was his introduction to the business side of the game, to be moved by the organization that drafted him after suiting up in only eight American Hockey League games with the Syracuse Crunch at the end of his junior season in 2017.

Howden spent three seasons with the Rangers, but was ready for a change of scenery when he was acquired by the Golden Knights for a fourth-round pick and prospect Nick DeSimone.

“I needed a fresh start from New York. I just needed a change and that change was a huge blessing to me,” said Howden. “I got more opportunities here and also, along the way, I started to figure out my game a little bit. I started working more on myself and it all came together at the right time and I’m super happy and thankful to be staying here.”

Howden is one of four Manitobans on the Golden Knights roster, along with fellow forwards Stone and Keegan Kolesar and defenceman Zach Whitecloud.

“He’s just entering the prime of his career. You can see he’s still improving.”–Captain Mark Stone

“He’s just entering the prime of his career. You can see he’s still improving,” Stone said. “To get him locked in for five years is big for the organization. He’s one of those guys that comes to the rink and doesn’t complain. He goes about his business and wherever you put him, he’ll do his best in that role.

“Fortunately for us right now, he’s scoring goals and contributing key goals at key times and doing a lot of the little things that a lot of guys don’t want to do, as well.”

Howden is currently riding the wave and is sporting a shooting percentage of 20.8 (compared to his career average of 12.7), but that’s a byproduct of going to the hard areas to find the back of the net with more regularity.

“He knows where he needs to go. He needs to get to the blue paint,” said Cassidy. “He’s got a good release, so he’ll get some goals off the rush and slot plays, but in general, he knows he has to go to the net and he’s a bigger-bodied guy, so he can get there and separate. For him, it’s an understanding of what makes him successful and how to score and it’s worked out for him.

“Whether those shooting percentages equal out as the year goes on, I think we knew there was more to Howie’s game.”

Kozak returned to AHL

Souris product Tyson Kozak had an emotional NHL debut against the Jets that saw his first NHL goal taken off the board after a coach’s challenge, but the feisty forward didn’t have to wait long to get one that counted.

In the Buffalo Sabres next game, two days later, Kozak tipped home a pass from Beck Malenstyn past Utah HC goalie Karel Vejmelka to give his team a 1-0 lead.

With forward Jordan Greenway returning to the lineup earlier this week, Kozak was returned to the Rochester Americans of the AHL after playing his third game with the Sabres.

Given the energy that he played with during his first NHL recall, one would expect the seventh round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft to be back with the big club before this season is over.

 

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

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mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X and Bluesky: @mikemcintyrewpg