An appreciation of Oilers’ Ryan Nugent-Hopkins after 1,000 NHL games

In July of 2011, Edmonton Oilers fans were in heated discussions about Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, the team’s No. 1 selection at the June draft. There was a mountain of information about him, but there were some questions. His size was a concern, as he was listed at 6-foot-1, 170 pounds, but didn’t look 6-foot-1 or 170 pounds. He was smaller than the previous year’s No. 1 pick, Taylor Hall, and Oilers fans were a little concerned about the new recruit battling men like Anze Kopitar of the Los Angeles Kings. There was also at least some question about his skating. In the summer of 2011, I asked Steve Serdachny, at the time the Oilers’ skating coach, about Nugent-Hopkins and questions surrounding his foot speed. “Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is a dynamic skater who, in my opinion, would probably be at an upper-end NHL speed right now,” he said. “He’s quick and strong, has explosive quickness and dynamic speed. He has multi-directional ability and the control he has and his edges and mobility on and off the puck are exceptional.” These years later, Nugent-Hopkins has answered all the questions, and emerged as a leader, a complete player and a fan favourite. Foot speed? Serdachny called it 14 years ago: this season Nugent-Hopkins is in the 82nd percentile. The player is a fantastic shadow (marking the opposition’s elite) who has played in the shadow of many of the best players who have populated NHL rosters since 2011. Nugent-Hopkins has accepted any and all roles and flourished in most. Now that he’s passed 1,000 NHL games, here are a few facts about him you may not know. In his rookie season, Nugent-Hopkins faced dozens of legendary players who have long since exited the scene. A name like Nicklas Lidstrom recalls a bygone era, but the two men played against each other in 2011-12. He arrived at a time when the Oilers’ centre depth chart featured a fading veteran (Shawn Horcoff) and a young skill player who had trouble playing the position (Sam Gagner). The Oilers weren’t a good hockey club. As an 18-year-old rookie, Nugent-Hopkins faced Kopitar for a total of 14 minutes at five-on-five. Edmonton was outscored 0-1 goals, but did win the shot share. Nugent-Hopkins has enjoyed exceptional linemates; the results over the years have been splendid. Over five seasons with Hall (2011-12 through 2015-16), the tandem played almost 2,300 minutes together five-on-five and outscored opponents 103-93 (53 percent). On a generally poor hockey club, the two men averaged 2.72 goals per 60 in the game state. In 2019-20, Nugent-Hopkins played for several months on a line with Leon Draisaitl and Kailer Yamamoto. From January 2020 through the premature end of the regular season due to the pandemic, the trio was the hottest in hockey. The line outscored opponents 28-8 in 318 minutes, via Natural Stat Trick. That’s 5.29 goals per 60 at five-on-five. Nugent-Hopkins is plus-19 for his career versus the Western Conference, but minus-37 against the Eastern Conference. He’s a power-play witch, a nickname given to him by current Carolina Hurricanes assistant general manager Tyler Dellow at the beginning of his career. Including all power-play minutes (almost 3,000), he has averaged 6.06 points per 60. Nugent-Hopkins’ scoring and outscoring numbers have been solid to excellent over his career, but the time spent with Connor McDavid is a category unto itself. Beginning in 2015 through today, McDavid and Nugent-Hopkins have played a total of 1,858 power-play minutes together. Nugent-Hopkins has collected 209 points, which means he’s scoring 6.74 points per 60 with the captain since 2015. At five-on-five, he immediately flourished with McDavid (2.97 points per 60 in the first three seasons together, in limited minutes) but was often deployed in more of a two-way role. Since McDavid arrived in Edmonton, the two men have played together a total of 2,745 minutes, with Nugent-Hopkins scoring 100 points. That’s 2.19 points per 60, representing consistent offence in the game state. Nugent-Hopkins finished a close second in the Calder Trophy vote in 2011, losing to Gabriel Landeskog of the Colorado Avalanche. It’s an award no Oilers player has ever won. He finished 24th in Selke voting (best defensive forward) in 2019-20. He finished 29th in both Selke and Lady Byng voting (most gentlemanly player) in 2022-23. Nugent-Hopkins has tremendous utility, and that makes him a valuable player for the Oilers. He’s the No. 1 left winger on the team unless there’s a need for him to play centre. He’s a brilliant quarterback and effective shooter on the power play, and has been killing penalties since his third NHL season. Part of what makes him valuable may well work against Nugent-Hopkins. On a team with several elite talents, it’s easy to overlook his excellence. Nugent-Hopkins’ consistency makes it even more likely that fans and media expect his subtle, effective plays. Oilers fans made loud noises on Nugent-Hopkins’ special night, and will again the next time he passes a major milestone. He isn’t far from setting some Oilers records (37 games behind Kevin Lowe for the all-time Oilers mark), and he may join McDavid and Draisaitl inside the team’s top five career scorers before his career is over. As time has marched along for Nugent-Hopkins, fans talk about who McDavid would pass the Stanley Cup to among his teammates. Most believe it would be Draisaitl, but there’s the sentiment that Nugent-Hopkins should be the first recipient from the captain. He’s the longest-serving member of an organization that has been to hell and back since 2011. Nugent-Hopkins has played for nine head coaches and seven general managers. The lasting memory I will have is the skating. Serdachny talked about multi-directional ability back in 2011, and you can see it on the ice today. No giant loops, but plenty of stops and starts. Nugent-Hopkins’ entire game is being present in the play, constantly around the puck. He’s a cerebral player who cheats for defence in the grand tradition of greats like Dave Keon decades before him. A Stanley Cup victory and a retirement as the first Oilers player of importance to spend his entire career with the team would be fitting. In the meantime, fans can expect more quiet brilliance from Nugent-Hopkins.