April 5, 2023 by Ryan Lotsberg

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins recorded his 100th point of the season on Wednesday with an assist against the Anaheim Ducks. This is the first time in his career that he’s hit the century mark in points. The feat makes him the third Edmonton Oiler to do so this season along with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. They are the first trio of teammates to each score at least 100 points in a season since Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, and Ron Francis did it in 1995-96.

That little tidbit is great and all, but I want to focus on Nugent-Hopkins here because he deserves so much more attention than he gets. The 2011 first overall pick has lived in the shadows of others during his time as an Oiler. Taylor Hall was drafted a year before Nugent-Hopkins, and Jordan Eberle was a part of the youth movement the year before he got drafted. 2014-15 was the only season that he finished ahead of either Hall or Eberle in scoring while all three were members of the team. McDavid and Draisaitl came next, and they have always outscored Nugent-Hopkins.

Nugent-Hopkins has been a consistent producer, but he’s never produced offence like one might expect from a first overall pick. His career-high for points prior to this season was 69. He’s obliterating that number this season! Let’s dive in and figure out why he’s been able to supercharge his offensive output this year.

I’ll start with the obvious analysis. Nugent-Hopkins has 36 goals on the season, which is eight more than he’s had in any other season. His shooting percentage was at 18.8% prior to Wednesday’s game, which is 6.6% higher than his career average of 12.2%. Nugent-Hopkins has 64 assists, which is only five away from his previous career-high in POINTS. That’s where the real magic is happening. He’s making smart passes and guys are finishing for him, but there has to be something more than that.

Nugent-Hopkins has seen a few games as the third line center this year, but he’s done most of his work on the wing in the top six. He has 20 goals and 25 assists for 45 points at even strength this season. Believe it or not, this isn’t his career high for even strength goals. He scored 22 goals at even strength in 2014-15. His 25 even strength assists are a career high, but only by two over his 23 in 2013-14.

The Oilers are on the precipice of making NHL history by having the highest powerplay percentage over the course of a season. They might not get that record, but this powerplay is otherworldly. McDavid and Draisaitl get all the love, but Nugent-Hopkins’s importance to the powerplay cannot be understated. He’s a wizard on the powerplay, and his numbers this season show it. He’s got 15 powerplay goals, which is six more than his previous high of nine. His 37 assists on the powerplay is astonishing though! He had 20 powerplay assists in his rookie season, and he had 22 last year. Those are the only seasons where he finished with 20 or more powerplay assists aside from this one. 37 powerplay assists is a testament to his poise and decision making with the puck.

Related: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins continues to be a significant power-play performer

Let’s not forget about Nugent-Hopkins’s contributions on the penalty kill. He’s the best penalty killing forward on the Oilers. Nugent-Hopkins is an impact player in every facet of the game. He even beat Justin Holl in a fight this season! Nugent-Hopkins hitting the century mark in points is a big accomplishment. He deserves all the praise in the world for the way he plays the game and for his impact in the community. This season will be another point in favour of being considered an all-time Oiler great. Congratulations on an incredible accomplishment and an amazing season Ryan!

I can’t forget about the fact that he’s about to become a father, congratulations to Ryan and his wife as well!