Ryan Nugent-Hopkins enjoys dream start
As the Edmonton Oilers finished rock bottom of the NHL last season, they were given first pick in the 2011-12 draft, which took place in the Excel Energy Center in Minnesota.
The Oilers picked up 18 year old centre Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who played his minor hockey in his hometown of Burnaby in British Colombia. A decision had to be made as to whether Nugent-Hopkins would play in the AHL for a year with the Oklahoma City Barons whilst he developed key skills and his physical stature, but the Oilers took a risk and placed him straight into the big league.
The youngster has impressed hugely and surprised many in his first 27 appearances, recording 55 shots and 29 points already. The Canadian’s great start has lead him to being selected by the NHL as rookie of the month consecutively for both October and November, which has only been done before by Pittsburgh’s Evgeni Malkin. However, the rookie has taken some criticism regarding his defensive abilities but the Oilers will hope that this will improve as time goes on and as he gets stronger with age.
Ryan has gelled superbly well with his two line mates, Jordan Eberly and Taylor Hall, who are both in their low twenties, which suggests a very bright future ahead for the Oilers. They have been scoring at a high rate so far and if this line continues to produce the goals all year, then Edmonton can count themselves in with a very good chance of the making the playoffs.
So, with Nugent-Hopkins’ surprising yet amazing start to his career, where do the Oilers currently sit? They have started off very respectively, gaining 29 points from 27 games and sitting just one point outside of a playoff spot. They got off to a great start by beating the Pittsburgh Penguins in their first game, and beating the likes of the Vancouver Canucks, Washington Capitals and New York Rangers since. Recording great results like these have also gained the Oilers a lot of recognition and respect over the past few weeks, which is something they have struggled to get in previous seasons.
A key ingredient to a successful team is a solid goaltender and Nikolai Khabibulin, the experienced Russian, has provided the Oilers with some much needed consistency in goal with a save percentage of .935 and two shutouts to his name. If he stays fit and healthy and keeps playing the way he is, the Oilers can compete with the top teams in the league.
The Oilers have tough December and January months, so it will be interesting to see where they stand come February to see if they are real challengers. Nugent-Hopkins and the Oilers will take on the struggling Carolina Hurricanes tonight who also have some great young talent.
