VHN’s Golden Knights October Player of the Month: Chandler Stephenson

October is over, and “All I Want For Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey can faintly be heard if you listen closely. After missing the playoffs last season, the Vegas Golden Knights are off to a tremendous start in 2022-23. They are 8-2-0 and tied for the league lead in overall points with 16.

With every passing month during the season, we’re going to be giving our thoughts on which Golden Knight’s player played the best during said month.

With such a strong start, there were a lot of players worthy of the player of the month honor, such as Mark Stone, William Karlsson, Logan Thompson, Jack Eichel, and Jonathan Marchessault. But our pick for October 2022 is Chandler Stephenson

Chandler Stephenson

I think the early season success by Stephenson confirms that last season was not a fluke and that he is a strong top-six forward in the NHL. With a cup ring on his hand, Stephenson emerged from the Washington Capitals organization in Vegas on a line with Mark Stone and Max Pacioretty.

“I was a good find by us. He has taken advantage of a situation. If you ask every player that has been put in that situation, that is what they want. They want more responsibility, and most of them want to move up in the lineup,” said Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy.

Since coming to Vegas, Stephenson has been one of the Golden Knight’s top offensive producers, and this has carried into 2022-23. He has four goals, four assists, and eight points in ten games and is tied for second in team scoring. His current shooting percentage is north of 20%, and has three game-winning goals.

Stephenson has played both center and wing so far this season, starting as the team’s second-line center before being moved to the top-line left-wing position. Either way, he has been playing with captain Mark Stone, and their chemistry together is unparalleled with Stone’s takeaways and Stephenson’s speed.

“He has been a good fit for us in the middle and on the wing. We switched him mid-game to the wing, and it has been very seamless for him. That line has had instant chemistry. He has played well with Mark (Stone) but throwing Jack (Eichel) in the mix, I have seen a lot of good things,” said Cassidy.

Completing the trifecta is center Jack Eichel, who scored a beauty overtime goal against the Jets Sunday.

“He can hold onto the puck for so long and create ice for you… We seemed to find that click right away, too, which was good… Everything that a hockey player is built to be is what he is,” Stephenson said on Eichel.

Look for Stephenson to continue his strong season into November with a game against his former team.