When Oilers star forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins broke into the NHL in 2011, he quickly earned praise from his teammates. And one of them gave him particularly high praise.
Edmonton Oilers left winger Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has become a key piece of the puzzle for his team. And in this story from THN's special "Rookie Issue" (cover date: November 21, 2011), Ryan Kennedy profiled Nugent-Hopkins as he embarked on his NHL playing career.
Slight Chance, Massive Payoff
By Ryan Kennedy
Rookies always get the short end of the stick, so when Edmonton’s Ryan Nugent-Hopkins posted a picture of his Halloween costume on Twitter, the question begged to be asked: Did he choose to do karaoke while dressed as SpongeBob SquarePants, or was the decision thrust upon him as an initiation rite? “It was my choice,” Nugent-Hopkins said. “Kinda last minute, but I thought it was a pretty cool costume.”
And here’s where you can start feeling old: Nugent-Hopkins was the target audience for SpongeBob SquarePants when the cartoon came out in 1999. Slightly more than a decade later, he passed the vaunted nine-game threshold in his NHL rookie season. Not only was he staying with the Oilers and not returning to the Western League’s Red Deer Rebels, but he did so as a point-per-game player and the team’s top scorer.
Veteran teammate Ryan Smyth has seen a lot of hockey in his day, but draws a blank when it comes to an opening performance by an 18-year-old rivalling what ‘The Nuge’ has accomplished. “Not that I can reflect on,” Smyth said. “He’s a dynamic player, very explosive. The guy he reminds me of is Joe Sakic – very composed. He sees the play and he reads the play a lot further along than most other guys.”The comparison to a legend, not to mention a fellow Burnaby, B.C., native, is heady stuff.
That said, skill was never in doubt for a kid who partially honed his offensive chops by taking shots in his basement without looking at the net. The big question was always size. Nugent-Hopkins is still skinny at 6-foot-1, 175 pounds and he’s even put on about 10 pounds since last playing for R ed Deer. How would he hold up against the biggest, fastest players in the world? Training camp wasn’t enough of a litmus test. “I still wasn’t sure,” said coach Tom Renney. “But to see him play exhibition games…it was important to see him against big, strong teams.”
One big, strong fellow who helped the process along was Vancouver’s Victor Oreskovich, who dusted the Oilers teenager with a clean and powerful hit during pre-season play. To his credit, The Nuge bounced right back up. “He came flying in and he’s definitely a big hitter,” Nugent-Hopkins said. “I felt what an NHL hit was all about.”
Even though Oreskovich caught him in the pre-season, Nugent-Hopkins is known for his evasiveness and hasn’t been rocked too much in the real season. And for a kid lauded for his offensive intangibles, he hasn’t shied away from the dirty areas. His first NHL goal came after a second whack at the puck while sandwiched between Pittsburgh’s Craig Adams and Matt Niskanen. He began his first hat trick two games later with a similar foray in front of Vancouver’s Roberto Luongo. “It would be foreign for me to just play the perimeter,” Nugent-Hopkins said, “so it was important for me to do that right away.”
Such displays also assuaged the coach’s fears physical stature would hold his young charge back. “There was a certain frailty that was a concern,” Renney said. “But night after night he was getting points and the players around him were playing well and getting points, too.”
The one area in need of improvement that truly sticks out comes in the faceoff dot. Nugent-Hopkins was winning less than 30 percent of his draws early on and that was before a massive road trip, where Renney wouldn’t have the luxury of line-matching. But the coach said there are ways to work around that problem. Hall played some center in junior and there’s also Sam Gagner if need be. And while draws are important, it’s something Renney can live with for now. “Outside of the faceoffs, the kid’s a complete player,” he said. “In fact, his defensive play may have sealed his roster spot.”
No question The Nuge has fit into the Oilers attack – heck, he’s spearheaded it so far – but adjusting to NHL life off the ice was the second part of the trial by fire. To that end, he came into a great situation in Edmonton. Smyth, the fan favorite, had returned via forced trade from the Los Angeles Kings, four seasons after a tearful farewell sent him to the New York Islanders. The affable left winger has already had Nugent-Hopkins over for dinner with the family several times and remembers how much it meant when he received similar treatment from Kelly Buchberger (now an assistant coach with the team) when he came in as a rookie in 1995-96. Fourth-year right winger Ryan Jones has been The Nuge’s roommate while on the road.
Those vets represent one side of the equation in the dressing room. The other comes in the form of the youth brigade that blossomed last season. Sophomores Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle have flanked Nugent-Hopkins on the ice and playfully teased him off it – particularly before the Oilers officially told the 2011 first overall draft pick he would be staying full-time. “It’s very special when they come to the rink and show that energy,” Smyth said, “and what they can do with the puck.”
Which, at the end of the day, is the name of the game. Renney said he saw a wherewithal and a confidence in Nugent-Hopkins right away when learning drills in practice and it’s clear the kid knows how to conduct himself as a pro hockey player.
But back to SpongeBob. Mic in hand, The Nuge was clearly singing that night and though his go-to music genre is country (Kenny Chesney’s a fave), a more rocking anthem emanated from his fresh vocal chords in the picture. The song? Living on a Prayer by Bon Jovi. It’s fair to say in the early race for the Calder Trophy, The Nuge is more than halfway there.