Nuge Week is in anticipation of one of the greatest Edmonton Oilers achieving the iconic milestone of 1,000 games played in the National Hockey League – all with the Oilers.

Sitting at 997 games before tonight’s matchup against the New York Islanders, it’s all aligning for Nuge to hit the millennium mark at home on Sunday against the St. Louis Blues.

He is second all-time in franchise history in games played, behind only Kevin Lowe at 1,037 games.

Over the next several days, you’ll read about our staff’s favourite Nuge moments: his important milestones, the important numbers, and assuredly a loving and glowing scrawl from Baggedmilk.

So, who is Ryan Nugent-Hopkins?

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins during his days with the Red Deer Rebels.

The bio

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was born in Burnaby, British Columbia, on April 12, 1993.

After beginning to skate at two-years-old, Nuge quickly impressed amongst his older brother’s age group, as he reached Kindergarten.

While the rising costs of the game precluded him from playing with the North Shore Winter Club, as was originally intended, he played with the Burnaby Winter Club and competed at the 2005 Quebec International Pee-Wee Tournament.

After excellent seasons, including being named the BC Hockey Minor Hockey Player of the Year, Nugent-Hopkins was selected first overall in the 2008 WHL Bantam Draft by the Red Deer Rebels.

Despite his diminutive size, Nuge’s elite vision and playmaking ability translated to major junior in 2009-10 when he made the jump full-time.

He was named the WHL Rookie of the Year and part of the CHL All-Rookie Team after a 65-point season.

The next season, his draft year, he produced 31 goals and 106 goals as a 17-year-old, turning 18, but was infamously snubbed for Team Canada at the World Juniors.

His draft stock didn’t suffer from it. The Edmonton Oilers selected him first overall in 2011 at the NHL Entry Draft in Minnesota, and to the surprise of some, Nugent-Hopkins stuck with the big club in his rookie year.

The Oiler

What a rookie season it was, scoring 18 goals and 52 points in just 62 games to tie for the NHL rookie scoring lead, enough to be nominated for the Calder Trophy, only to lose to Gabriel Landeskog. He also represented the youth resurgence of the Oilers, playing with Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle.

Because of the 2012-13 lockout, Nugent-Hopkins tore up the AHL with Justin Schultz and Jordan Eberle, and then captained Team Canada at the World Juniors, scoring the most points at the tournament while being named Best Forward.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is seen at the World Juniors.

By just his third season, he was given a letter “A”, which he would wear for 11 of the next 12 seasons.

He signed his first major contract extension, a seven-year, $42 million pact, that kicked in 2014-15, and was the team’s number one centre as the organization cycled through coaching regimes and front office changes.

Through the team’s struggles, Nugent-Hopkins continued to grow into a better pro. In just a few seasons, Nuge gained 25 pounds of muscle, thickening up from his draft weight of 165 pounds.

He also worked on his details, becoming a better faceoff man and a trusted penalty killer to play in all situations.

As the McDavid era began, Nugent-Hopkins took pride in these new roles, no longer the team’s number one offensive option, and the Oilers made the playoffs in 2016-17 for the first time in eleven calendar years.

Sep 11, 2016; Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Jonathan Drouin (72) with teammates Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (93) and Connor McDavid (97) during tplaying of the National Anthem before a World Cup of Hockey pre-tournament game against Team Europe at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

The big ones

But this prowess was respected across the league. He made Team North America at the 2016 World Cup, a collection of the best U-23 Canadian and American talent, and the 2018 World Championships, his second appearance at the Worlds.

As the Oilers found playoff success in the 2020s, Nugent-Hopkins’ offensive game ratcheted up a level in 2022-23. For the first time in his career, he surpassed the 30-goal and 100-point plateaus, as a new era was dawning in Oilersnation.

The last two post-seasons, Nugent-Hopkins surpassed 20 points as Edmonton came as close as possible to lifting the Stanley Cup. He’s played a total of 96 playoff games with the Oilers and put up 81 points.

He, like all of us, is still searching for the Stanley Cup.

Oct 23, 2025; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (93) celebrates after scoring a goal against the Montreal Canadiens at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images

The most beloved?

Is there a more beloved Edmonton Oiler over the years than Ryan Nugent-Hopkins?

Maybe.

There’s Wayne Gretzky. There’s Connor McDavid. There’s Ryan Smyth. There’s even Rem Murray.

But Nugent-Hopkins, who is still just 32 years old by the way, is the lone survivor from the Decade of Darkness. Not once has his eye strayed from the organization, even signing a max extension in 2021 for eight seasons at well below market value.

He is beloved by the fanbase in a deep way.

As we continue our list of the Top 100 Edmonton Oilers of All-Time, I guarantee Nuge will finish very high.

We salute Ryan Nugent-Hopkins with a wall of content to come. It’s the least we can do for a player who’s been a joy to watch for running on 15 years, and many more to come.

Michael Menzies is an Oilersnation columnist and has been the play-by-play voice of the Bonnyville Pontiacs in the AJHL since 2019. With seven years news experience as the Editor-at-Large of Lakeland Connect in Bonnyville, he also collects vinyl, books, and stomach issues.