"When Coyotes prospect Michael Stone started his junior hockey career four years ago, he was a scrawny 16-year-old overwhelmed by the bigger bodies and the brighter spotlight. He played in the Western Hockey League for the Calgary Hitmen, an extension of the Calgary Flames that operated much like its parent organization. There was a big-league arena. Scouts. Pressure. Accountability. "It's almost like a pro franchise," Stone said. But as Stone aged and matured, he bulked up and, most noticeably, peaked at 6 feet, 4 inches. He became a towering presence on the Hitmen blueline with a powerful shot, a natural fit to choreograph the power play. Stone remained with the Hitmen for four years, most recently winning a WHL title and earning a berth in the semifinals in the Memorial Cup this past season. But now he's ready to adapt his game once again to the bigger bodies and brighter spotlight of professional hockey. "It's gonna be starting all over," Stone said. Stone hasn't entertained any ambitions of sticking with the team in Phoenix this year, but he has come to the team's prospect camp to get himself noticed. Luckily for him, he already is high on the depth chart for defensemen in the organization, just behind Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Maxim Goncharov. "He's ready for the next level," Assistant General Manager Brad Treliving said. "These last two years of junior have been really good. He's had success." During those past two years, Stone developed into nearly a-point-a-game player; he had 21 goals and 65 points in 69 regular-season games last season. He was second in team scoring in the playoffs with 15 assists for 20 points." http://www.azcentral.com/sports/coy...11/20100711phoenix-coyotes-michael-stone.html
