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Nuge Week: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ top 10 most memorable moments ahead of his 1000th game
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
Photo credit: Russell LaBounty-USA TODAY Sports
Sean Panganiban
Jan 18, 2026, 12:00 ESTUpdated: Jan 18, 2026, 02:11 EST
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In Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ rookie season, there was a stretch where he was out of the lineup for a month due to injury. In his first game back, against the Detroit Red Wings, he absolutely dangled future Hall of Famer Niklas Lidstrom — so much so that some joked ‘Nuge’ had deked him into retirement after the 2011–12 season — and in that moment, I thought, “Yup, this kid is going to be a good one for the Edmonton Oilers.”
‘Good’ turned out to be an understatement, as Nugent-Hopkins became, and still is, a fantastic, jack-of-all-trades player for the franchise and one of the best to ever suit up for the Oilers. With ‘Nuge’ set to play his 1,000th NHL game Sunday night against the St. Louis Blues, we highlight ten of his most memorable moments with the Oilers below.

Oilers select Nugent-Hopkins first overall at the 2011 NHL Draft

The Oilers drafted Taylor Hall first overall in 2010, and in 2011, they once again found themselves holding the number one pick at the NHL Draft.
Of course, the Oilers selected Ryan Nugent-Hopkins with the first overall pick. After he was drafted, he said, “I’m going to be able to relate to all the young guys in the system already,” with young guns Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle already on the team.
Some wondered if he could handle the NHL right away due to his size at 170 pounds, even though he was coming off a big season with the Red Deer Rebels, where he recorded 106 points. What no one knew at the time of the 2011 NHL Draft was that, just a few months later, Nugent-Hopkins would quickly silence the critics by recording 11 points in the first month of his NHL career.
Additionally, one of the quotes that stands out most about Nugent-Hopkins on his draft day and still holds true today is from former Florida Panthers GM Dale Tallon, who said at the time:
“He’s a solid two-way player, he’s unselfish and everything you want in a hockey player.”
That statement, over fifteen years later, has proven true. Nugent-Hopkins has been everything the Oilers could have hoped for in a player — he plays on the power play and penalty kill, scores, and is defensively responsible.
The unselfishness highlighted in that quote stands out both on and off the ice. On the ice, he’s always willing to dish the puck, and off the ice, he has made numerous contributions to the Edmonton community, supporting committees that raise money for Cystic Fibrosis, Hockey Helps Kids, and the Food Bank.

Nugent-Hopkins scores his first NHL goal in his first NHL game

Nugent-Hopkins played his first NHL game on October 9, 2011, during the Oilers’ season opener in front of 16,839 fans at Rexall Place.
There was a lot of anticipation heading into the game, with all eyes on the 18-year-old centerman, fresh off being selected first overall, as he centred a line with Hall and former Oiler Ales Hemsky.
The Pittsburgh Penguins took the lead in the first period. It was a back-and-forth battle, with the Oilers struggling to score, but their latest first overall pick, Nugent-Hopkins, played hero in his NHL debut. With under five minutes left, Hall passed the puck into the slot, Nugent-Hopkins pounced on the loose puck, shot, and followed up his own rebound to tie the game 1-1, scoring his first NHL goal and unleashing a roar at Rexall Place.
Overtime solved nothing, and the game went to a shootout, where Devan Dubnyk stopped two of three attempts. The Oilers won the season opener 2-1 on a memorable night when Nugent-Hopkins scored the first of many goals in his NHL career.

Nugent-Hopkins scores first career hat trick as a rookie

Much like it didn’t take Nugent-Hopkins long to score his first NHL goal, it didn’t take him long to record his first NHL hat trick either.
The Oilers were taking on the Vancouver Canucks on Hockey Night in Canada, and the then-18-year-old  batted a puck out of the air in the first period for his first goal of the night. He got his second off a deflection by Tom Gilbert, once again beating Roberto Luongo.
Nugent-Hopkins’ first career hat trick came late in the second period on the power play. The centerman crept in from the half wall, a spot he had grown comfortable playing in Oilers’ silks, and knocked in a loose puck. After a review confirmed that Hall hadn’t touched it, the announcer declared it Nugent-Hopkins’ third goal, sending hats showering onto the ice at Rexall Place and forcing a stoppage in play.
With his third tally of the night, Nugent-Hopkins became the fastest rookie in Oilers history to record a hat trick.

Nugent-Hopkins tallies five Assists in one game in his rookie season

While the “Decade of Darkness” had its share of rough nights for Oilers fans, November 19, 2011, was definitely a memorable high point.
The Oilers absolutely pummeled the Chicago Blackhawks by a score of 9-2, and Nugent-Hopkins recorded five assists on the night. His final assist came on Hall’s hat-trick goal, giving the then-rookie his first five-point night just 19 games into his NHL career.
The centerman’s five-assist night was the first time an Oiler had done that since Wayne Gretzky recorded five helpers in a single game during the 1987–88 season.

Nugent-Hopkins’ first career NHL fight against Dan Hamhuis

I, along with plenty of other Oilers supporters, want to protect Nugent-Hopkins at all costs, no matter the situation. Yet with his babyface looks, I sometimes forget that ‘Nuge’ can hold his own on the ice.
And that’s exactly what he did on October 12, 2014, when he got into his first NHL fight. Former Vancouver Canuck Dan Hamhuis came after Nugent-Hopkins, and the Oilers’ centerman stood his ground, showing no fear as he dropped the gloves for the first time.
According to hockeyfights.com, 60 percent of voters sided with Hamhuis, 17 percent with Nugent-Hopkins, and 22 percent called it a draw. Still, it showed that the youngster was willing to stick up for himself and wasn’t going to be pushed around by anyone.
With five career NHL fights under his belt, Nugent-Hopkins averages roughly one fight every three years. It’s rare, but when it happens, it fires up all of Oil Country.
Additionally, an honourable and memorable mention goes to Nugent-Hopkins’ fiery fight against then-Calgary Flame Sean Monahan, where the usually baby-faced “Nuge” turned angry, feeding the Flame some hefty shots during a heated Battle of Alberta in 2020.

Nugent-Hopkins represents Oilers at 2015 All-Star Game

During the 2014–15 season, Nugent-Hopkins was selected to play in his first and only NHL All-Star Game, which was held in Columbus, OH.
The Oilers were struggling that season, but the centerman was a bright spot. At the time he was selected, he had 25 points in 40 games and was averaging the most minutes played per game among NHL forwards, with 21:17 TOI a night.
Nugent-Hopkins was selected to Team Nick Foligno and recorded two assists in the All-Star Game, where Team Jonathan Toews won by a whopping 17-12.

Nugent-Hopkins signs team-friendly eight-year contract extension in 2021

Nugent-Hopkins’ seven-year deal worth $6 million per season was expiring at the end of the 2020–21 season, and he kept Baggedmilk’s mantra to “Keep Nuge Forever” alive when he re-signed on June 29, 2021, agreeing to a very team-friendly eight-year deal with a $5.125 million cap hit. The deal was significant, as Oilers fans have seen players who bled orange and blue leave over money issues in the past, but ‘Nuge’ took less because he truly wanted to stay in Oil Country.
The 32-year-old is in year five of his eight-year deal, and this season he has 39 points in 40 games while playing in all situations, making the contract look like an absolute bargain for Edmonton. His contract ends when he’s 36, and I suspect the Burnaby, BC, native will still have a couple of playing years left when it expires. Hopefully, the Oilers keep him signed for as long as he plays, and we can potentially turn the “Keep Nuge forever” sentiment into “Nuge retired an Oiler.”

Nugent-Hopkins joins the 100-point-in-a-season club

Nugent-Hopkins’ eighth season in the league brought a career-high 69 points, and while that was certainly nice, just when you thought that was his peak, he stunned everyone in his 12th season.
With only four games left in the regular season, Nugent-Hopkins was sitting on 99 points in the 2022–23 campaign when he assisted on an empty-net goal to reach point number 100 for the first time in his career, finishing the season with 104 points.
In doing so, he joined Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in reaching the 100-point mark that season, making the Oilers the first team with three 100-point players since the 1995–96 Pittsburgh Penguins, when Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, and Ron Francis all surpassed 100 points.

Nugent-Hopkins records 700th career NHL point

Many things make Nugent-Hopkins unique, but one that has always stood out to me is that he didn’t play organized hockey in his second year of peewee. His parents were going through a divorce, and his father was dealing with an illness, creating tough financial times for the family. As a result, he wasn’t able to play competitively that season.
That stands out to me because nowadays, when I talk to parents with kids trying to take the next step in hockey, they’re involved in multiple hockey programs, from shooting classes, power skating, and on- and off-ice training. For Nugent-Hopkins to have skipped a year of organized hockey and still not only make the NHL, but become an impact player in the league, truly shows what a special player he is. It was especially clear when he reached his 700th career NHL point in his 883rd game on October 12, 2024, against the Blackhawks.
Nugent-Hopkins hit the milestone with an assist on Draisaitl’s power-play goal and has since reached 787 points, only 15 shy of 800 in his career. He needs 119 more points to surpass Glenn Anderson’s 906, which would move him into sixth place on the Oilers’ all-time scoring list.

Nugent-Hopkins was dominant against the Dallas Stars in 2025 Western Conference Final

Nugent-Hopkins has had countless standout offensive moments, from scoring in crucial games to overtime winners, and while this isn’t a single specific moment but rather a period, when I think of “Nuge” at his offensive peak, I think of his performance against the Dallas Stars in the 2025 Western Conference Final.
In five playoff games against Dallas, he tallied nine points (two goals, seven assists), including a game-winning goal, tying for the team lead in points for the Oilers. He averaged just over 18 minutes of ice time per night, and his goal share stood at 11–2 against the Stars.
While Nugent-Hopkins didn’t record a point in the final game of the series, his nine points through the first four games were the most by an Oiler in the opening four games of a conference final since Gretzky did it in 1988.

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