BLOG: Oilers reflect on the career of Nugent-Hopkins

COLUMBUS, OH – It’s been 12 years since Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was selected first-overall by the Oilers in the 2011 NHL Draft, and in that time the now 29-year-old has cemented his legacy among the best to ever wear the Blue & Orange.

In Thursday night’s 7-2 drubbing over the Pittsburgh Penguins, the man affectionately referred to as ‘Nuge’ wired one of his trademark wristers low blocker-side on Tristan Jarry for his 28th goal of the season and his 600th National Hockey League point.

“He’s a tremendous player, and he’s had an incredible career up to this point, and he’s got a long way to go,” Devin Shore said about the milestone after the game. “Six hundred is a huge number and we’re really happy for him.”

Never overstated and certainly underrated, Nugent-Hopkins has quietly gone about his business in the shadows of superstars and has established himself as one of the most reliable and versatile players in the NHL. His 600-career points rank him ninth all-time in Oilers franchise history, and he’s just 32-points away from surpassing Edmonton icon Ryan Smyth for eighth. 

The Burnaby, B.C. native continues to shatter his own single-season milestones as well this year. Nugent-Hopkins’ snipe against Pittsburgh tied his career high in goals with 28, and his 72 points has already eclipsed his career best of 69 – both marks originally set in 2018-19.

“I think every year, like everybody else, I’m trying to get better and work on my game and try to round it out a lot,” Nugent-Hopkins said about his career year. “Obviously, I want to be that two-way player, and I’m still trying to find my stride and make improvements to every aspect of my game.”

Video: EDM@PIT: Nugent-Hopkins nets 28th goal of season

If there is anything that can show how revered Nugent-Hopkins is among the Oilers organization, it’s the words of his coaches and teammates.

Head Coach Jay Woodcroft:

“He’s the longest serving Oiler for a reason. He’s a high-end player. What a lot of people might not know about him off the ice is that he’s competitive in anything that he does, whether it’s playing a game of golf or playing ping pong. He’s somebody takes pride in his competition level and I think that’s what we’re seeing this year, is how competitive Nuge is being in all situations. I’m moving him all over the lineup. He’s left wing, he’s centre, he’s playing on first-unit penalty kill, and first-unit power play. He’s somebody that I think got a little bit of a taste of a longer playoff run last year, and he’s driven to help the team in whatever way he can to make the playoff first, and then go on the long run”

Derek Ryan:

“He’s an elite player and an elite guy in our dressing room. It’s fun to watch him kind of as a teammate now and see how he carries himself day in and day out. He’s a special guy, and special player. I think it speaks volumes that he’s been with one team for so long because he’s so valuable. I know he’s a good friend of mine. He’s a great player.” 

“I think most people know he’s more of a quiet leader, lead by example (type). When he has something to say, everyone’s all ears and listening, but more often than not, he’s just the guy that’s doing everything the right way. That quiet leadership is effective. We need guys like that.”

Warren Foegele:

“I think Nuge is just such a complete, skilled player. Like, he kind of just does it all. He’s one of our leaders on this team, and I think it really shows on the ice. His whole commitment to play both sides of the puck and be able to produce the way he does, too. He can make some unbelievable plays, and at the same time, he’s backtracking.”

“I just think he’s a really good leader, especially off the ice, too. Guys gravitate to him when there’s something to be said, I feel like Nuge is always the guy that says it. He’s a great leader and a great player, and I’ve been fortunate enough to play a couple of games with him, and usually we do connect, so I got to credit that, too. It’s kind of nice that we’re doing something like this, because I feel like he doesn’t get talked enough about on the team.”  

Video: POST-RAW | Ryan Nugent-Hopkins 02.23.23

Darnell Nurse:

“I think his reliability on the ice has been something that’s been a strong point for him since he first came into the league. He’s ability to play a two-way game defensively and create offence is pretty underrated. There’s not really many in the league who can do it as well as he does. From a leadership standpoint, he just says the right things, his actions speak louder than words sometimes.”

“As a teammate of his, I’ve got to see him over the last eight years, obviously he’s evolved into a really good hockey player in this league, but also the type of character and how good a person he is. He’s been a lot of fun to be around, and I’m happy to be his teammate.”

Ryan McLeod:

“He was definitely a guy I kind of idolized in training camps during my first couple of years when I kind of knew I was going back to juniors for that season. Just the way he kind of goes about his day-to-day is so great. He’s so nice to everyone. He’s really helped me out a lot, and going to talk about gear, because I actually tried out his stick for a bit.”

“I always love bouncing little things up because he’s so smart and we kind of play in the same style. It’s been a lot of fun to be able to kind of learn from him and then now play with him. He’s just an unreal guy. I mean, he’s super chill. Just loves to be around the guys and is never really too hard or anything like that. He’s always pretty easy going, and he’s a lot of fun to be around.”

Jesse Puljujarvi:

“He’s really, really good and always a really positive guy. He bring always his best effort on the ice and yeah, really good teammate and really like good for the Oilers. I really respect that kind of thing; 12 years is many years, and I think there are still many years to come.”