MINNEAPOLIS, Minn – While there have been many stories on the emergence of Jared Spurgeon or the surprising play from Kyle Brodziak, there has been one rookie on the Wild team that has been quietly establishing himself as a regular NHL player: Clayton Stoner.
It took four years playing with the Houston Aeros to finally get called up by the Wild, where he showed promise with his large 6’3” 225lbs body. He played a physical yet safe defensive game, which won him a two-year contract extension.
Drafted in the third round in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, the Wild hoped to have selected a defenseman that would one day develop into a physical, competitive player. After becoming captain for the Houston Aeros, Stoner has finally made his mark with the Wild.
When he began the 2010-2011 season, it was evident Stoner was still struggling to find a place with the Wild, being outshone by fellow rookie Justin Falk. In his four games, he never played more than 10:32 minutes, even playing just 6:26 minutes during the season opener against the Carolina Hurricanes, a time worse than 4th line enforcer Brad Staubitz. Stoner just didn’t click with any of his defensive partners.
It wasn’t until November 9th 2010 did Stoner start to pair regularly with Greg Zanon, where Stoner saw a spike in his ice time.
Playing a similar smart, defensive game, Zanon provided the veteran assistance needed for Stoner to gain some confidence in his abilities. Much of Zanon’s game can be reflected in Stoner’s, making them a solid duo on the Wild’s blueline. Stoner now plays 57.19% of the time besides Zanon.
There has been much talk on rookies Marco Scandella, Jared Spurgeon and even Justin Falk but somehow, Clayton Stoner remains unnoticed.
Stoner has played more minutes, have given more hits, blocked the most shots, has the highest plus-rating, and even has scored 9 points as a defensive defenseman, good enough for 2nd amongst rookie Wild defensemen.
Perhaps that can be considered a good thing, reflecting his safe, defensive style and that of his veteran presence.
Stoner is third in defensive rookies in hits and fifth in shorthanded time on ice per game so while his game is remains very unnoticeable, Stoner has still produced a very impressive rookie season. He is starting to see ice minutes challenging veterans Marek Zidlicky and Nick Schultz.
When four of the Wild’s defensemen contracts expire, including Brent Burns, Cam Barker, Greg Zanon and Clayton Stoner, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Minnesota Wild rookie sign first considering the fact is he is only 26 years old and with a cap hit of just 0.550 million dollars.
Contact the writer at daniel.chan@prohockeynews.com
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