2011 NHL Draft: Who Is Ryan Nugent-Hopkins? @ The Fan Hub

by Ryan Evans June 24th, 2011

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This weekend, the future stars of the National Hockey League will hear their names called to the stage at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. As far as hype and publicity go, the NHL’s entry draft probably only ranks above Major League Baseball’s amateur draft, but even then it’s close.
If you are one of the millions of Americans who could care less or weren’t even aware that the 2011 NHL Entry Draft is taking place this weekend, fear not because I’m here to fill you in.
I won’t bore you with projections on who I think goes where because frankly, unlike a NFL or NBA mock draft, a NHL version is full of players that you have probably never heard of. Rather, this is a look at the most important player that will, in all likelihood, be the face of the 2011 draft: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who seems to be the consensus pick at the top of the board for the Edmonton Oilers.
Nugent-Hopkins will be the only player to receive some face time on SportsCenter in the next few days, so it’s worth brushing up on the talented center from the Western Hockey League’s Red Deer Rebels.
 
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins—#9— C— Red Deer Rebels
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 164 lbs.
DOB: April 12, 1993
Birthplace: Burnaby, British Colombia
Shoots: Left
2010-’11 stats (69 games): 31 goals, 75 assists, 106 points, +30
 
Nugent-Hopkins is the type of dynamic, playmaking center that all NHL teams strive to build their franchise around. He is a creative playmaker on the ice thanks to great vision that allows him to see plays as they develop and find teammates with crisp tape-to-tape passes.
He has drawn some pretty weighty comparisons for that ability, as many scouts have said he reminds them of former Colorado Avalanche center Joe Sakic. You know you are doing something right when you draw comparisons to a future NHL Hall of Famer.
But Nugent-Hopkins has also drawn comparisons to the Red Wings perennial All-Star Pavel Datsyuk for his hands. Nugent-Hopkins has incredible stick handling ability that allows him to weave through defenders to find the net. Much like Datsyuk, Nugent-Hopkins makes things happen on the ice and has the ability to make his teammates around him better.
With the first pick in any draft, you expect to find a player that will be the cornerstone of your franchise for the next 20 years, and that certainly appears to be what the Edmonton Oilers would get in Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.
The consensus among draft pundits is that this kid will be the top player chosen in Friday’s draft, and he certainly appears to be the next piece in the Oilers’ rebuilding puzzle. If Edmonton pairs Nugent-Hopkins with last year’s first overall pick Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle, they will have a dynamic, young and talented top line for the foreseeable future to lead them out of the darkness.
 
2011 NHL Entry Draft 
Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, Minnesota
First Round: Friday June 24, 7:00 p.m. ET
Second-Seventh Rounds: Saturday June 25, 11:00 A.M. ET
 
First Round Order:
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1. Edmonton Oilers
2. Colorado Avalanche
3. Florida Panthers
4. New Jersey Devils
5. New York Islanders
6. Ottawa Senators
7. Winnipeg NHL
8. Philadelphia Flyers (From CBJ)
9. Boston Bruins (From TOR)
10. Minnesota Wild
11. Colorado Avalanche (From STL)
12. Carolina Hurricanes
13. Calgary Flames
14. Dallas Stars
15. New York Rangers
16. Buffalo Sabres
17. Montreal Canadiens
18. Chicago Blackhawks
19. Edmonton Oilers (From LAK)
20. Phoenix Coyotes
21. Ottawa Senators (From NSH)
22. Anaheim Ducks
23. Pittsburgh Penguins
24. Detroit Red Wings
25. Toronto Maple Leafs (From PHI)
26. Washington Capitals
27. Tampa Bay Lightning
28. San Jose Sharks
29. Vancouver Canucks
30. Toronto Maple Leafs (From BOS)
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