The Nuge (Hopkins)

This fresh-faced kid you see here is Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.  Five months ago, he went from lighting it up with the Red Deer Rebels of the Western Hockey League to the first overall draft pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft by the Edmonton Oilers.  Almost a month ago, it was debated as to whether the Oilers would send him back to the Rebels before he hit the magical 10 game mark that would set the entry level contract into motion.  As of this writing, he is tied for the team lead with 19 points.  The player he's tied with?  Ryan Smyth, a fan favorite that recently returned to the Oilers the same day Nugent-Hopkins was drafted.

What makes Nugent-Hopkins special?  Well, for one thing, guys like Smyth, Taylor Hall, and Jordan Eberle will have their numbers increased because RNH (I'm getting tired of typing out the last name, so I'll shorten it to what you see for the rest of this article) has the ability to get the puck to the guys that can score, as the 5-assist game against the Blackhawks on Saturday proves.  More impressive than that is that RNH looks like a more complete player than Hall, who was the first overall pick in the previous NHL Entry Draft.  Yes, RNH will hit a wall at some point this season, and yes, he can stand to fill out a 6'1" frame (he's 175 lbs. at the moment), but RNH has helped to reignite the passion of Oilers fans everywhere.  The best news of all?  He's got guys like Smyth and Shawn Horcoff to guide him along, as both know what it means to be representing the Oilers.