WHL features Ryan Nugent-Hopkins in throwback profile
By baggedmilk
4 years agoYesterday afternoon on Twitter, the WHL released a throwback profile of the former Red Deer Rebel star, @Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and the footage brought my back to a simpler time leading up to the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.
Before the Nuge was huge for the Edmonton Oilers, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was nicknamed “Hoppy” with the Red Deer Rebels and working his way to a first overall section in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. In 141 WHL games, Nugent-Hopkins put up 177 points (57G, 120A) before Steve Tambellini walked up to the podium and called his name on that faithful June evening back in 2011.
Nugent-Hopkins further confirmed his case for the first-overall selection with a 10-game point streak from January 23 to February 12, 2011, recording 27 points (7G-20A) in that span. That streak included a career-high six-point game for the 17-year-old at the time, with him picking up three goals and three assists in an 8-1 home win over the Moose Jaw Warriors on February 4, 2011.Leading the Rebels to a 21-point gain in the standings, they captured the WHL’s Central Division title and made quick work of the Edmonton Oil Kings in the first round of the 2011 WHL Playoffs. Nugent-Hopkins led off the series with a four-point performance in the first game and tallied nine points (4G-5A) over the four-game set.Though the Rebels would eventually fall in the next round, ending Nugent-Hopkins’ WHL career, his totals remain impressive to this day. Recording 177 points (57G-120A) in 141 WHL regular season games, including 23 power-play goals and 12 game-winning goals, his quick rise as an offensive star in the league turned plenty of heads.
By far, the funniest part about this profile and the accompanying video is that Nuge looks basically the exact same as he did back then. Frankly, it’s hard to believe that it’s already been nine years (give or take a few months) since the Oilers were fortunate enough to select him in the first overall slot, and it’s almost amazing that he’s still here considering all the hardship he’s been through.
Nuge kinda reminds me of Andy Dufresne, crawling through the 500 yards of shit before coming out clean on the other side, meaning that there is no one that I can think of in the NHL that deserves the playoffs more than him. Here’s hoping the NHL can safely get back underway sooner than later and the Oilers can give this guy the playoff push he so desperately deserves.
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